Lay Me to Rest
by BlackInkStains
Summary: Almost one and a half centuries after Ciel's death, Sebastian returns to London where he and Ciel meet again. How is it that his former master is still alive when Sebastian himself devoured his soul many years ago?  Sebastian/Ciel
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** Hello and welcome to my multichap "Lay me to rest"! It won't be a very long fic, probably around ten chapters, but I hope you'll enjoy it!

**Rating:** M for gore (varying in its graphicness) and sexual situations (not too explicit, but still quite present)

**Pairings:** **Sebastian/Ciel** WILL be the main pairing, just not yet...

**Warnings:** Overall: Shounen-ai, shota (only physically, since, well, Ciel isn't an actual boy anymore. I'll refer to him as such, though, because otherwise it'd just become complicated), yaoi, and blood.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Kuroshitsuji.

**Chapter 1 **

He'd never thought a single city could be so full.

Humankind was treating itself a little too well. Who was he to complain, though, it made soul hunting so much easier. Nevertheless, the sheer amount of humans in London startled him. Indeed, he hadn't visited such a great big city for too long, hunting in small towns and villages throughout the world. Here, though, the people flooded the streets (he must've arrived at a busy hour), their souls carrying scents to startlingly varying degrees. Other scents, such as the sweat beneath cologne and perfume or the smell of human food in every corner overwhelmed him additionally… It was almost nauseating.

Unfortunately, demons liked to hunt with a scent in mind. So he tried his best to get used to the many different odours.

While walking down the streets, the demon in human form recalled every single store that had been there in the nineteenth century, not seeing the actual malls and boutiques in his nostalgia.

Almost one and a half centuries had passed since his last stay in London. He felt strangely alien, probably because of his faint attachment to earlier times. His most entertaining master had frequently strolled down the city's streets, cane in hand, with his aloof attitude and beautiful appearance.

The demon had even kept the name he'd been given by him.

Clearly, he was attached. _Still_ attached.

It might have been a bad idea to return.

Grinding his teeth, he continued walking. The scent of corruptible human souls was stronger than it was in towns or villages, but despite his hunger, he had no particular interest in them after having to endure all those odours along with his memories.

Until he sensed _it_.

The scent he'd so often smelled years ago. The hatred that had almost been all-consuming, the need for revenge and the scars from abuse were a very faint construction that threatened to fall. Sebastian came to a sudden halt, his train of thought clashing violently with a wall in his head that was a memory of a young noble.

It couldn't be.

So he didn't entertain the idea for too long.

He turned around, ignoring the people who shot him angered looks, searching for the source of the smell. Somebody with even the hint of a scent such as this one possessed a soul of good quality. If he helped the ripening process along by every possible means of temptation, the soul would taste even better...

When he inhaled again, the scent was gone.

He felt as if something had just ripped out his intestines.

With a small sigh, he resumed walking. And for the rest of the day, he did just that, taking in modern London.

Every single place he came by smelled of Ciel Phantomhive.

It was maddening, not only because the scent made him aware of the last years he'd spent without a meal, but because the young Earl was long dead and his body rotten to the bones. Not to mention that every recollection of the boy's soul spoilt his appetite _despite_ fuelling his hunger. Sebastian found himself in a very contradicting position. He shouldn't have returned but how weak must he be when he couldn't even pass a candy store without thinking of a child that had died almost one and a half centuries ago? He was a demon. It was imperative that he acted like one, too. There was no room for the deceased. So he just had to stop thinking of them.

By night time, he found himself in front of the Phantomhive townhouse, much to his annoyance. He stared at the house in dismay, as if his attachment to a dead boy was its fault. Then he sighed, giving up. Maybe, if he indulged his memories a tad, he could go hunting properly afterwards (he was getting used to the smell, after all, and the appetite should return after that). He took slow steps towards the building, catching that scent again. By now, he simply told himself that London was full of potential prey and nothing more. The possibility of the boy being alive was absolutely ridiculous, thus he refused to think about it.

Inside the house, the lights were burning, but Sebastian couldn't sense a human being behind those white walls. He wondered whether he could enter the house, see what had changed and what hadn't (though he guessed that only the exterior remained), when the front door opened and a silver-haired man left the house.

Sebastian stared.

The Undertaker looked around as if searching for something. When he caught Sebastian's eye, he did a double take, brushing his bangs aside before his usual grin slowly crept onto his lips. He came over, hands in the pockets of a black trench coat. His legs were clad in his leather boots that ended somewhere underneath his coat.

"Long time no see, demon." The Undertaker's grin widened. "What brings you here?"

"Souls", Sebastian answered. "I didn't expect you here of all places."

The ex-reaper turned to look at the townhouse. "You mean in a normal street instead of a mortuary? These days it is frowned upon to live there, not to mention sleep in a coffin among corpses. I'm merely adapting." He sighed wistfully. "It is a shame, though, having to cut the hours spent with my dears."

"Times change", Sebastian said politely.

"Indeed they do." The Undertaker tucked a stray strand of hair behind his ear, leaving the whole rest to hang irregularly into his face. Sebastian wondered whether he should recommend hair pins to him. "Care to join me for a walk? Four eyes see more than two."

"Are you looking for something?" Sebastian asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes. You see, my ward has decided to run away again." The Undertaker started walking at an unhurried pace. "He tends to thoughtless experiments when alone."

"Thoughtless experiments?" Sebastian repeated.

"Such as jumping off buildings." The mortician raised his head to check the roofs. "Or trying to drown himself."

"He's suicidal?"

A cackling laugh rang through the neighbourhood as if he'd just told the best joke in a long time. "Not at all, demon, not at all. This one has never tried committing suicide per se. He thinks of it as an experiment." He grinned widely. "Isn't he amusing~?"

Sebastian found himself unsurprised at the Undertaker's choice of company. He couldn't say that he thought of it as humorous, but he definitely found it interesting. So that ward couldn't die? How come?

Before he could ask, the former reaper spoke up again: "I see you have kept the same appearance, but which name do you go by these days?"

"Sebastian Michaelis."

Faint surprise traced the other man's feature. "Still?" Already, the grin pulled at his mouth. "You have remained entertaining, despite the chagrin you've inflicted on that young Earl."

"So, you don't wish to kill me anymore?" Sebastian inquired with a feigned pleased tone to his voice. "I'm glad."

A look into his direction, oddly calculating. "I haven't decided yet."

He smiled, taking a deep breath, when he sensed _the_ scent clinging onto the Undertaker's person. He came to an abrupt halt, masking his surprise quickly. The scent didn't belong to the Undertaker himself, but it was there nevertheless, smelling so strongly of Ciel Phantomhive's essence that he almost couldn't control his human form. What was going on here?

The Undertaker ceased walking, regarding him with curious eyes. "Is there something? Did you find my ward?" He raised his gaze to the rooftops. "Or is he hanging from a tree again? Did he manage to get himself shot?"

In the back of his head, Sebastian wondered what kind of freak this ward must be. He shook his head. "I didn't see him. I merely noticed a special scent on you."

The Undertaker didn't stop grinning, though the raised eyebrow said something else. "Are you coming on to me?"

Sebastian blinked. "No."

"Too bad", said the Undertaker, cackling, "too bad."

Then he continued to walk as if nothing had happened.

Sebastian entertained the thought of leaving, staring at the Undertaker's retreating back, but then decided against it. If the man carried this scent around him like a second skin, he must have access to a truly delicious soul. Maybe, if Sebastian stayed close, he'd get close to it.

After two hours of silence, Sebastian picked up another source of the same scent. That ward…? But immortal beings didn't possess a soul. It couldn't be.

The Undertaker held a finger to his lips upon spotting the figure on the roof of a ten-storey apartment complex, facing the backyard. It was so small, Sebastian would have never seen it without his enhanced sight. He still couldn't make out the face, though, but if the boy were to come down one way or the other, he'd see it.

Instead of making himself be seen, the Undertaker pressed himself against the wall; his hair was only a tad lighter than the grey behind him. He waved for Sebastian to join him, which the demon did after a second's hesitation. "He's never been that high…"

"Why don't you help him?" Sebastian asked, not knowing whether to be annoyed or –admittedly, since he wasn't human - only mildly shocked. He'd never have let his young master do that. "You're encouraging this behaviour."

"He'll stop sooner or later", said the Undertaker, strangely solemnly. "He'll understand and then he'll end this hobby." Cue the head scratch. "But it'll be very boring."

The moment was over. Sebastian barely stopped himself from rolling his eyes.

The boy chose that second to jump.

He fell headfirst, as if diving into water. The Undertaker didn't even twitch, clearly entranced by the eerie image.

Sebastian thought he saw an eye patch.

Before he knew it, he was moving, running towards the falling boy, jumping into the air and catching the body with perfect timing. A blue eye widening, the boy flinched violently, turning as if wanting to finish the fall and have his skull spread across the backyard.

Sebastian pressed him closer to his body and landed without making a sound.

When the demon's feet touched the ground, Ciel Phantomhive finally looked at him. So did Sebastian, feeling his former master's small fingers digging into his shirt. The scent of his soul assaulted him, but he realized that it didn't possess its full aroma anymore. It was like smelling a freshly baked treat through a closed door.

"I killed you", he said.

The boy's eyes narrowed. It was the only warning Sebastian got before his former master started thrashing around, ordering him to put him _down_.

The demon who was no longer his butler didn't listen, too surprised at the feeling of the smaller body wriggling against his, so real, so _alive_.

He remembered the satiation he'd felt back then. His mouth against the boy's, ripping his essence out of his body, biting at full lips until he'd drawn blood. _He had consumed that soul_.

Yet it was still there.

Sebastian didn't know what to think anymore.

"You know", the Undertaker piped up, approaching them languidly while taking in the height of the building, "I sometimes do think that you _are_ trying to kill yourself. Remember the time when you tried to drown yourself in 1990? You were out for three days –"

"Why did you bring him with you?" Ciel yelled, still struggling. Sebastian didn't give in, wanting to bite that little finger attached to the hand that was currently pushing at his face. "Why _are_ you here, anyway? I told you to stop following me."

The silver-haired man blinked. "Such harsh words…" He giggled. "I _am_ your guardian, have you already forgotten?"

Finally, Sebastian found his voice again. "Please calm down, young master, I wouldn't want you to injure yourself", he said patiently.

Upon hearing his former title, the boy went rigid, giving him a look that screamed all the insults he wouldn't say aloud. "Put me down _this instant_."

This time, Sebastian obliged. He watched the boy glare at him once more before walking over to the Undertaker. "We're leaving."

With a shrug, the mortician followed Ciel without objection. "See you around, Sebastian."

The boy's shoulders twitched, but he didn't give any other indication of having heard the Undertaker.

The demon watched them go, at a complete loss for words.


	2. Chapter 2

**Overall rating:** M for gore (varying in its graphicness) and sexual situations (not too explicit, but still present)

**Pairings:** **Sebastian/Ciel** WILL be the main pairing, just not yet; **slight** Undertaker/Ciel (they are NOT in a romantic relationship!). More to come.

**Warnings: **Overall Shounen-ai, shota, yaoi, and blood. Dark themes. The general confusion of the characters, maybe.

**Disclaimer:** I still don't own Kuroshitsuji and never will.

**A/N:** I decided to post this one already because I'm curious to what you are going to think of it. _**Thank you so much for your reviews and favs and alerts, you guys are great!**_ =D

Updates should come every _Wednesday_ from now on.

**Chapter 2**

In two weeks, Sebastian formed and ended a new contract: She was a young woman who had killed her husband for his money. He'd wanted to laugh when he'd heard, but had restrained himself from doing so. She was the main suspect of the investigation, and they'd found too much proof against her. She'd told him that she didn't want to go to jail. That she wanted a better life somewhere else.

He'd said it wouldn't be a problem.

And it wasn't, really, because she never specified what he could and couldn't do. Also, he'd never told her that he'd get her soul at the end of the contract; the beginning had been its end at the same moment. Sebastian had only waited an additional week to see whether she would ask him what he would get out of the contract.

She never did, so he decided that this was getting boring too quickly.

When he killed her, he was reminded of Ciel again. He'd thought about the (former) Earl the whole time, usually beginning with the same question (why is he still alive?)and trying to figure out how it could have happened that he was still there and in the same body that the demon had left back.

The woman's soul wasn't above mediocre, her vanity and greed being its only spices and weaker than he'd anticipated. During his meal, he concentrated on ripping out every last bit of her essence, comparing this process to what he'd done to Ciel and tried to find the differences.

For one thing, he wasn't loosing himself.

Could it be that he'd made a mistake, that he had missed something because Ciel's soul had driven him into ecstasy? The only thing that could have led to Ciel's survival on his side was a loss of control. He'd already been in slightly delusional states before the boy's soul, but it had never led to such results. It was simply a demonic thing to let yourself go but it never interfered with a demon's plans. Sebastian couldn't be the reason for Ciel's presence in this time. Therefore, this situation probably wasn't even his doing.

Taking the last gulp, he dug his fingers into the skin of her ribcage, tearing it open with a sickening crunch.

For a few seconds, nothing moved except for her head, which lazily rolled to the side.

Quite dead, he noted as he let the corpse fall to the floor and left the room to use her shower.

A certain Earl continued haunting him. He'd never anticipated it, but if he'd known that there would be another meeting between him and Ciel, he would have imagined it differently. The boy had been quite angry, and Sebastian couldn't even understand why. Maybe the boy blamed him for his immortality, but since Sebastian couldn't find a mistake on his side, he shouldn't be accused. It was just that easy.

He washed all the blood off him, catching a glance of himself in the mirror facing the shower. It was the moment he knew he'd given in. Instead of leaving the boy to his dubious experiments, he had to bring light into the matter. Also, the kid was supposed to be dead, and if Sebastian could find a way to do it, he would kill him.

But first, he needed information.

A nice, long conversation with the boy would do.

**OOO**

The Undertaker watched Ciel watching people from the window of his room. The (eternal) boy felt the other's gaze at the back of his head and finally turned around. "What is it?"

Apparently taking it as an invitation, the man stepped into the room and sat on Ciel's bed. Hair pins kept the silver bangs out of his face. "We don't have to leave yet."

Ciel still had to decide whether having the Undertaker know his way of thought was a good thing or not. Right now, it wasn't. "I'm aware of that."

He didn't mention that the knowledge of Sebastian being in London made him feel anxious. Anxious and angry, to be precise. Back then, he hadn't understood why the demon hadn't consumed all of his soul, waking up in coffins usually took away deeper thoughts than that, but now he knew: He had been reduced to nothing more than some simple snack for the other one. Sebastian had left him to himself, he'd just gone away, and now that he felt hungry he'd come back to finish this.

Ciel didn't know whether he should be glad or very, very enraged. Thus he was both. He wanted to go and he wanted to stay. He wanted to end this life and he suddenly felt he could do more. He'd never visited university, if he was to die before people noticed the stagnancy in his appearance, it would (not) be alright.

Death was suddenly very close and Ciel, who had seen more years than any other human being, welcomed it and pushed it back to the front door at the same time.

"Then you shouldn't entertain the thought." The other male pointed at the digital watch on the nightstand. "You should go to school, instead. I might already have customers at the mortuary."

Upon hearing this, Ciel raised an eyebrow. "Were you waiting for me?"

"I actually overslept, but you could call that waiting, too." The man cackled at his own words before sighing. "That's what happens when you don't sleep in one of your shop's coffins and have no customers to wake you up."

Ciel snorted softly before picking a casual outfit together. When he wanted to leave for the bathroom, though, he was stopped by the Undertaker.

"You're not wearing this."

The boy raised an eyebrow. "Would you rather have me naked?"

"Maybe", the Undertaker said, grinning widely, "but that is beside the point. You should put on your school uniform. Aren't you writing a test today?"

Ciel stayed silent. They both knew that the boy didn't need school at all. Having learnt enough for a top graduation at university, he was bored to death in secondary school and simply wasting his time.

With a sharp edge to his grin, the Undertaker spoke up again. "Your teacher called. She told me that you're absent most of the time. She suggested a meeting with your parents –"

"_Okay_, I'm _going_." Ciel huffed and swapped the outfit in his hands for his grey school uniform. This time, the Undertaker let him pass, cackling madly.

The last time, it had happened three years ago, somewhere in New York, where a teacher had suggested a parent-teacher meeting. The Undertaker had gone as Ciel's father, but he'd had company:

Ciel's over-enthusiastic 'mother' had been played by no one else than Grell Sutcliff.

Suffice to say that Ciel had urged the Undertaker to change states after that embarrassment where he'd resumed going to school regularly.

The boy shuddered at the memory, paused and wondered what he needed to do to persuade the Undertaker into 'home schooling' him. He readied himself for the day (it was almost lunchtime by now) before climbing down the stairs. The eye patch was securely tied around his head, hidden by his hear. Sometimes, children experienced the need to open the knot, which was why Ciel used medical eye patches most of the time. Today, however, he felt like wearing a good, old-fashioned silken one.

On his way out, he grabbed a few of his so-called guardian's biscuits and an apple, biting into it as he left the house. The Undertaker was already waiting for him in his (surprisingly normal) black car, looking faintly amused. Ciel suspected that it had something to do with memories of Grell as his temporary wife.

He wasn't quite right.

Somebody cleared his throat right behind Ciel, making him whirl around to come face to chest with Sebastian himself. Suppressing a startled yelp, the boy jumped backwards and glared at the demon.

"Young master", the other male started, and stopped as Ciel turned and went to climb into the Undertaker's car. He didn't want to see Sebastian. It made him slightly nauseous. He felt a light itch in his right eye and walked faster.

Before he could reach the car, the demon blocked his way. "We need to talk, young master."

Ciel clenched his teeth together. "I don't feel inclined to do so."

At the same time, he did want to talk.

"It's rather important", Sebastian said, then paused as if he was weighing his words. At the end, he settled for a single word: "Please."

The boy pushed the demon aside, knowing that the other decided to let it happen, and climbed into the car. "Come back at five", he said before closing the door.

The Undertaker chuckled as he started the car.

"Care to share your amusement?" Ciel asked dryly.

"I actually find it sad", the Undertaker said with a shrug. "You're torn. It's written all over your face." Stopping at a red traffic light, he turned his head to Ciel. "I kill him if you want me to. My death scythe is waiting for it."

"I know that what I feel is _not_ written all over my face", the boy said defensively, "and don't get into a fight with Sebastian. Yet."

The lights switched to green. His 'guardian' gave a small smile. "You know, we laid out your corpse, him and me." He paused, then let go off the steering wheel to draw quotation marks into the air. "Your 'corpse', that is."

Ciel was too busy freezing into his seat, for it wasn't the best time to _not_ pay attention to London's traffic. Usually, the other didn't do things like that in a car anymore, though it had taken him months to stop doing things other than driving and concentrating on where and how he was driving. He heard a short laugh and saw the Undertaker's hands going back to the wheel in his peripheral vision. Only then did he allow himself to relax. "You never told me that."

"Well, now you know." The older male tapped his long nails against the wheel before he switched on the radio and hummed along with the latest pop song. "He quickly went away after that but he made sure you'd look good at your funeral. Not that I couldn't have done it myself…"

Ciel ignored the last bit. "But he knew I'd wake up again", he muttered to which he saw the Undertaker shrug in response. Maybe Sebastian hadn't expected him to regain consciousness before he'd find himself six feet under. That demon and his twisted sources of entertainment. With a small exhale, he switched to the classical station. One of Bach's concertos filled the car and Ciel lazily looked out the window while the Undertaker changed from humming to whistling along.

Eventually, they arrived at Ciel's school. When the boy wanted to open the door at his side, the Undertaker grabbed his wrist. "You hopefully know what you're doing", he said. "I won't be there when he comes."

Ciel felt his mouth go dry, but managed to look unaffected nevertheless. He guessed his efforts wouldn't make a difference, but then again, they never did with the Undertaker. That man wasn't fooled.

He nodded before he wrenched back his arm and got out of the car.

**OOO**

Sebastian rang at precisely five pm. Ciel, dressed in casual designer fashion, opened the door, giving him a single dark look before wordlessly letting him come inside. The demon didn't say anything, either. He took off his shoes and neatly placed them somewhere next to the door.

The boy led him into a lavishly decorated living-room. "Tea?" he asked, sounding tense.

Sebastian wondered when the young master had learned to boil water. Maybe living with the Undertaker did that to former nobles. "Only if you have some", he said politely, "I do not wish to be a bother-"

The boy walked out of the room.

Sebastian closed his mouth and instead chose to sit down on the lush couch in the room's centre.

Something was wrong with Ciel. He hadn't expected such unfriendliness from him, but maybe the boy was just upset at meeting him again. He didn't know how such meetings went when one of the two present wasn't supposed to be breathing anymore.

With a cup of tea in each hand, Ciel returned to the room. Sebastian took the one he was offered with a small smile, trying to read the reason for the other's ill humour from his expression, to no avail. "How have you been, young master?"

"Fine", said the boy, sitting down with a posture that was too stiff to be comfortable. Scepticism shone in his eyes. "We've been travelling around a lot since _that_ day."

Sebastian nodded. Somewhere inside his gut, there was a pleasant feeling that could be connected to Ciel's suspicion towards him. "Have you spent all this time with the Undertaker?"

An almost-glare. "Yes, I did."

Sebastian cocked an eyebrow. He had guessed that pleasantries wouldn't bring him anywhere. He decided to skip them. "Not that I'm glad, but let me be frank: How come you're still alive?"

Ciel's expression darkened quickly. "You know why."

The demon blinked. Ciel had said it with so much conviction that he almost felt stupid for not knowing. "I don't. Please enlighten me."

A blue eye searched his face, then Ciel gave a low sigh and lifted his eye patch. When the other eye opened, Sebastian couldn't help the surprise that overwhelmed him.

The mark of their contract was still edged into the boy's orb.

With his gaze fixed on his former master, he rose from his seat and set his cup on the coffee table. He walked over to the other, who stiffened even more and flinched slightly as the demon raised his hand to his cheek. Sebastian frowned at Ciel's reaction but chose to postpone the interrogation by a moment. Instead, he traced his thumb over the skin under Ciel's right eye, intently looking at the mark. Maybe he'd come too close, because the boy shrank back, his gaze full of conflict.

"Why is this still there?" Sebastian asked, slightly pulling back. He didn't take his hand off the other, though, brushing it through Ciel's soft hair.

"I've never fulfilled my part of the contract", Ciel said quietly, looking unhappy.

"You have", Sebastian said. "I took all of your soul. Even though I still sense a piece of it inside you, about which I came to talk to you."

"You left it there, you imbecile", the boy suddenly spat, slapping the demon's hand away. Something almost visibly snapped behind those mismatched eyes. "Don't you _dare_ toy with me. I'm sick of it. Take it. I'm sure it even tastes better than it did back then."

Again, Sebastian felt confusion settling inside him. He started despising that emotion passionately, which didn't add to his good mood. "I don't know what you're talking about. Unless your soul rebuilt itself, you shouldn't be alive. I'm sure I devoured it, every single shred of it."

The boy got up and pushed at him. Sebastian didn't allow himself to be manhandled this time, not moving an inch. "Don't lie to me, Sebastian. You know I hate it. Just take what you came for!"

"I came for answers, and you sure aren't giving them to me", the demon said.

"Because you already know them!" When the boy gripped at his shirt, trying to pull him into his direction (or not), Sebastian closed the distance between the two, enraged and very confused. He brutally pressed the small body against the nearest wall, hoisting him up so that they were on eye-level. He wanted to dig up the boy's ruined soul and leave it somewhere in the back of his mouth, half connected, because this would cause him enough pain to spill everything. If he found out what caused this situation, he would be one step closer to ending it.

Before he could cover the other one's mouth with his own, however, realization hit him:

Ciel belonged to him.

Sebastian wasn't bound to the boy anymore. On the contrary, Ciel still beard the contract that marked him as the demon's property because he still had that shred of his soul to give.

This... was too good to be true.

The demon couldn't suppress a smirk as he let the boy down. "Do you realize that you belong to me? I can take anything from you. Answers... other things..." His hands snaked around Ciel's waist, pulling the small, warm body flush against his, slightly lifting the expensive t-shirt in the process.

With narrowed eyes, the boy tried to push him away, but he was rather caught between the wall and his former butler. His hands gripped at Sebastian's, trying to force them away, which only resulted in them travelling under the thin piece of clothing. The glare that the demon got was nothing less than poisonous. "The only thing that belongs to you is my soul and therefore my life. You may take it, if you wish, for it is your right to do it. Any other thing you might want from me is not yours to claim or take."

Stopping his actions for a moment, Sebastian pondered this. Unfortunately, Ciel was right in what he had said. After all, he wasn't bound to following commands or anything similar; all he had to do was give up his soul.

And oh, Ciel seemed ready to thrust it at anyone right now. Sebastian felt his exhaustion and the weak, little glimmer inside him. He'd anticipated more from that boy, but then again, he could remember how intent Ciel had been to fulfil his part of the contract.

"You'd give up your soul this instant if I wanted it?" he asked, just to hear the answer from the boy himself.

"Yes", Ciel said, as if it was obvious. "But I can see it doesn't matter. Apparently you'd rather push me against walls than take it." He hesitated, his gaze flickering to Sebastian's hands under his shirt. "I'm in a relationship."

Sebastian blinked. "Pardon?"

Ciel blushed a tad, looking furious. "I'm taken, you deaf creature, so take your filthy hands off me. You cannot have me except for my soul." He crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Get it when you need it. Until then, I don't want to see you again."

_That's not how it goes_, was what Sebastian wanted to say, slightly surprised at the turn of things. The boy shouldn't refuse him. He should give up, beg for Sebstian to own him so that the demon would fulfill his wish. Instead, he forbade contact and told him that there was someone who already had him. He did everything wrong.

Sebastian was intrigued, wanting to toy with the boy until he broke (and kill the person who had Ciel).

He leaned in, close enough to brush his lips against the boy's cheek who went rigid upon the contact. He moved further to the other one's ear. "Then you might not see me in a long, long time, dear Ciel."

He would try a different approach. If the boy refused him, he would soon willingly give the demon everything he had. If Ciel urged him to take his life, Sebastian would make him cling to it first, only to take it away _afterwards_. After all, the boy belonged to him, and Sebastian would not only own his soul, but also his body and his mind. Who said he couldn't enjoy the time until he killed Ciel?

The boy stopped breathing, carefully turning his head to the demon. _That's not how it goes_, was what his look said, shock settling in mismatched eyes. Sebastian, infernally pleased now that he had regained the upper hand, removed his hands from the boy's warm skin (small hands held the demon's as if demanding him to stay but quickly let go), bid his goodbyes and left.

Ciel didn't stop him.

When the demon closed the front door behind him, the Undertaker was approaching the stairs. The former reaper smiled pleasantly – as pleasantly as it went with his usual disturbing grins – and Sebastian noticed his hair pins. So much for the recommendation. "My, my, the demon." The man cocked his head to the side. "I've been carrying around a special coffin the size of a boy for years now. Will it have an inhabitant?"

"He's not dead", Sebastian said, carefully keeping his expression void of any emotion. Could it be that the Undertaker was the one who had claimed Ciel for himself? Sebastian considered the man for a moment, growing angrier with his own affirmation to the internal question. Of course it could be. The two of them had passed one and a half centuries together. Ciel belonged to Sebastian and had been since the moment the contract seal on the demon's hand had vanished; how dare the Undertaker claim him? Sebastian felt like ripping the other man's head off. He had been given what should have been Sebastian's: The boy's mind and body. The demon only had that remaining piece of soul while the Undertaker was in possession of the whole rest of him and would keep it beyond the child's death.

The demon would change this.

"You look slightly ruffled," the Undertaker said with a giggle, forcing the demon out of his thoughts. "What did you do to my ward?"

He looked as if he already knew. Sebastian felt the ugly beast called envy raise its head. "Why don't you ask him," he muttered before descending the stairs.

"Do have a nice day!" the Undertaker called after him, probably waving at his retreating back. "And don't forget, you're always welcome."

**Another A/N**: Those that think there will be some Undertaker/Ciel romance in here, please remember what I wrote in the warnings.

Please tell me what you think of this =D


	3. Chapter 3

**Warnings:** Undertaker/Ciel, Ciel's very contradicting thoughts. Sebastian being a creep. Also, temporary character death.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Kuroshitsuji, only the plot of this fic.

**A/N **: As just stated in the warnings, this chapter contains some interaction between the Undertaker and Ciel. This will happen once in a while, since, well, they've lived together for ages in this fic and even though Ciel doesn't look like it, he's an adult. Also, I repeat that _romantic love __**doesn't**__ play a role between the Undertaker and Ciel_, partly because this will be a **Sebastian****/Ciel** fic. Those who don't like Undertaker/Ciel, don't worry, just go with it, it will change =D

On another note, thank you for all your reviews and alerts/favs! You rock! (and I don't, because there'd been no time to answer...)

Now I'm going to shut up and hope you'll enjoy the new chapter.

**Chapter 3**

As soon as Sebastian left, Ciel sat down on the floor, _aggressively_ trying to calm down. He wanted to shout and scream and throw something; he wanted to call Sebastian back and he wanted to hit him, to be held by him - yet the demon had to stay as far away as possible. He wanted Sebastian to take his soul and end this game but he also wanted him to kneel in front of his master as he had done in old days, smiling in his unique way while the words 'Yes, my Lord' fell from his lips.

So, when the Undertaker came in, Ciel – who was flustered and angry, hot, _very_ bothered and _absolutely_ unaffected – grabbed fistfuls of the other's hair, yanked his head down and kissed him hard. The former reaper seemed surprised for once which made Ciel grin against his mouth despite his anger. Apparently, the other took this as a challenge and kissed him back with a small chuckle. Ciel felt one hand on his neck, holding his head the way the Undertaker wanted it while the other rested against the small of his back. Just when Ciel was about to enjoy himself, the Undertaker broke the kiss, gently yet firmly pushed him to the floor and came to rest on top of him, settled between the boy's legs, his arms holding most of his upper body's weight away from the smaller one. They looked at each other for a long moment. It had been ages since they last had been in a position like this. Ciel adjusted his legs a little, feeling the cold floor at his back in contrast to the Undertaker's warm body on top of his. He was rather used to hard surfaces by now; the Undertaker seemed to have something against beds. For him, it was always the walls, tables, chairs or floors. The Undertaker would take him in a coffin, but having woken up in one, Ciel preferred hard surfaces over _that_ kind of bed.

The former Earl curled his fingers into strands of the other's hair, ready to pull him down in case his staring session took too long. The Undertaker didn't let the boy distract him. Instead, he brought one spindly finger to Ciel's face and started tracing his reddened lips with an interest that had nothing to do with continuing what their position implied. Dumbfounded, all the boy could do was stare.

At this, the former reaper chuckled lightly. "You look bothered." He leaned in, his breath ghosting over Ciel's moist lips. "Tell me, what were you talking about? It must have been very… intense."

At first, Ciel didn't want to say anything, mentally slapping himself for being glass to the Undertaker, but then again they wouldn't get anywhere if he didn't give an answer. They had to get finish this before it could get awkward. "He feigns innocence," Ciel said, letting the other continue his newfound hobby. "Also, he claims ownership." He started busying himself with the buckles of the Undertaker's pants, feeling that he wouldn't get any help in removing that tight-fitting long sleeve of his. He fought the blush that threatened to stain his cheeks at the thought of his next words. "I told him that I'm taken."

The other male burst out into loud laughter. "By _me_? What a lie!"

Ciel ceased his fumbling, his face growing hot. "What's so funny? You _have_ taken me and he didn't ask in what sense we're together, so why not?"

"It doesn't matter whether it's a romantic relationship, a sexual or one like ours," the Undertaker said, amused. "I've got an angry demon at my heels. You better come up for it."

"Actually, you shouldn't charge me anything", Ciel said. "My presence should be of enough entertainment."

"As well as the development between you and your demon."

The boy glared. "He's not my demon."

A cackle. "Right. You're his _property_."

With a scoff, the boy slapped the other male, causing a fit of giggles. "That's why you're here. Even Sebastian has to admit that you're dangerous to his existence."

"You teamed up with me because I'm powerful?" The Undertaker shook his head slightly. "And here I thought you loved me."

Ciel rolled his eyes. "And _I_ always thought I needn't pay you with entertainment."

The Undertaker pulled a face, obviously trying not to laugh. "Point." He pressed a quick kiss to Ciel's cheek and got up. The boy watched him, curiously unaffected by the idea of not having some distraction, and sat up on the floor. A strangely comfortable quietness overcame them, in which the Undertaker straightened his clothes and looked at a plate with his special biscuits sitting on the coffee table in a contemplating manner.

Ciel broke the silence after some moments. "We haven't been to Finland yet."

The other male grinned as he combed through his hair with his fingers. "How about South Africa?"

"Or Russia."

"Alaska."

"Singapore." Ciel felt a light smile pull at his lips.

The Undertaker offered his hand. When the boy took it, cool, slightly calloused fingers tightened around a small hand. As Ciel was pulled to his feet, those fingers brought back an impression of Sebastian's hands, smooth and warm over the soft skin of his stomach. He forced the picture away.

The former reaper regarded him with interest. "You wish to die and yet you don't. This morning, you decided to stay and now, we're planning on leaving."

"You won't get bored if you stay around", Ciel said as the man put a hand around his shoulder.

The Undertaker smirked, leaning in as if he was about to tell his ward a secret. "We could travel around for countless years to come, and the demon would still find you." The smirk grew as the boy stiffened. "I think I'll stay."

**OOO**

As Sebastian was walking around London's shopping streets, it started raining.

The demon watched the people around him break into a hurry, taking out their umbrellas or going into the next store, murmuring to their acquaintances. The rain quickly grew stronger, soaking Sebastian's clothes. He headed for the small apartment he'd rented during his last contract.

"Can it be?"

That voice sounded very familiar. Sebastian thought of stopping but quickly decided against it.

Not that he was successful in his flight, for a red-haired man in stilettos and holding an umbrella blocked his path, adjusting his glasses and giving him a look from head to toe and from toe to head. "Sebastian?"

Act oblivious or respond? It was one of the hardest choices the demon had to make in the last ninety years. But maybe he could get something out of it. After all, he had seen him around back then, right before leaving. Maybe he knew something. Sebastian straightened his shoulders, chin held high and said, "Grell."

The reaper squealed in delight, throwing his arms around the demon and hugging him hard, apparently not caring about his clothes for a second. "It's been so long, dear Sebastian darling!"

(What had he just _done_?)

The demon gritted his teeth and pushed the other male away. "Refrain from doing such things in public or private, Grell."

The other one just blinked at him lovingly.

Sebastian rolled his eyes and walked past him. As expected, it only took a little twitch of his hand for Grell to follow him. They went to Sebastian's apartment – a simple one that was only there to indulge in the luxury of sleeping – where Grell looked expectantly at the other male.

"Are you going to have your way with me?" he asked in front of the door. "Y'know, good-to-see-you-sex."

"No," Sebastian said, slightly annoyed. "We are only going to talk. Afterwards, I shall consider a change of apartments."

"You're still the same. I like that."

The demon didn't answer. Instead, he opened the door to his living quarters, letting Grell in first. The redhead took everything in, paying intense attention to the barely decorated hallway and living-room. He placed himself next to the open windows behind which they could hear the rain falling against glass and the muted murmurs of the rest of the world. "I'm glad to see you again."

Sebastian, rather taken aback by the other's solemnity, forced a smile on his face. Normal people weren't glad that a demon had returned. "You shouldn't be. I'll be taking away all your souls."

"Ah, but that's a different matter. I'm going to stop you if you do. Spread your innards all over London and cover the rest of you in red."

There was a manic glint in his eyes that Sebastian did not like.

"That's very nice," he said, clearing his throat. "But I won't let you rip me into pieces. Now, if you may excuse me for a short while, I need a change of clothes."

With Grell's excited squeal in his ears, he went to his bedroom which was empty except for a bed and a wardrobe that he had bought from the money stolen from his last victim. He quickly changed into dry clothes, leaving his hair damp. It was early autumn, after all, and he didn't get sick anyway. When he entered the living-room, leaning against the back of the couch, Grell hadn't moved from his place. However, there was this certain look on him that implied that he'd watched Sebastian change.

The demon professionally ignored it, his experience from his years as a butler aiding him. "I apologize. There is nothing in this apartment that I could offer to you."

"Don't mention it", Grell said, his sharp-toothed grin returning, "I don't want anything anyway." He batted his eyelashes. "Not in that sense, at least."

And back was the reaper. Sebastian decided to overlook this, too. "You know why I brought you here."

"Why, yes, I guess it's about the Earl?" Grell waved his hand. "It's always about him. He's all the Undertaker ever talks about when we meet. Imagine, he even called me to New York City just to play some kind of prank on the kid. At least he bought me some expensive ankle boots for that."

The mention of that former reaper lit a spark of anger inside the demon. He tried concentrating on the essential. "I was wondering whether you knew anything about the day of Ciel's death."

This brought a grin to Grell's face. "Which death?"

"His first."

Looking at him in a calculating manner, the reaper nodded. "I was there after you had left," he finally admitted, "so I know what happened. What do I get for telling you?"

If Grell really had been there, then Sebastian needed a good price. He wouldn't offer himself to him. Still, it was the only good payment that he could think of… Except… "I will kill the boy," he said. "Chances are high that you will get the cinematic record if you deliver good information from now on, concerning Ciel's first death and maybe other more recent things."

The reaper blinked, thunderstruck. "I…" he began, but then stopped himself. He closed his mouth, then opened it again, blinked. "That's a lot for exchange."

"I said that the chances will be high," Sebastian said. "It depends on how good your information is. His soul still belongs to me, but I might be generous and give you that shred. It contains more years than any other complete soul. Aren't you interes-"

"Yes, yes, I'll tell you everything!" Grell was practically beaming by now. "Imagine all those memories… How intriguing!"

Sebastian smiled indulgently. When Grell tried to hug him, he pushed him away. They weren't that friendly with each other, and he planned on keeping it the way it was. Not that Grell minded the push, anyways. He rather looked as if he'd enjoyed it. "Please tell me what you know about that day," the demon said.

The reaper rounded the couch and flopped down on it, trying a suggestive pose but gave up on it when Sebastian averted his eyes. "Well, as I said, I was there after I've seen you leave and was curious to have a look at the earl. When I went in, I saw the Undertaker working on Ciel's soul. Apparently, you left some of it in the boy's body."

Ciel had said the same, but Sebastian still refused to believe that he'd simply forgotten it there. It was unprofessional, and he was too old for that.

"The Undertaker noticed it right after you had gone, so he was patching it together." Grell shrugged his shoulders. "I think he had already experimented with hurt souls or something alike, because he was quickly finished in healing that minuscule shred. Ciel didn't wake up, not even two days after that, so the Undertaker gave up and put him in some expensive coffin." He took off his gloves and took a nail file out of nowhere, tending to his red nails. "I think he had a grave bell and the Undertaker heard it by chance and got him out of his coffin. Can't tell you anything about that since I wasn't around anymore. I saw them again when they came back to London in 1967. Imagine my surprise; I never thought this little shred could maintain the kid's body sufficiently."

"It's no more than the tiniest sip", Sebastian said.

"Exactly." Grell put his nail file back. "But seeing its cinematic record will be very interesting."

"Is there anything else you can tell me?" Sebastian asked.

"You're the only one who can remove the soul from Ciel's body," Grell said. At Sebastian's inquiring look, he reluctantly explained. "William stabbed him with his death scythe, but neither his soul nor the record escaped his body. The Undertaker might be able to remove it, given that he was the one who patched up the soul, but we never tried that. Whatever you did, darling, you definitely made sure you'd get your prize."

"He does belong to me," Sebastian said. The tone implying that he knew what Grell was talking about was only acted. He made a mental note to himself that should he ever see that William again, the encounter would end in blood.

Raising his head to look him in the eye, the reaper asked: "How did you do it?"

Sebastian raised his eyebrows."Demon business. Nothing you should worry about." How indeed had he done it? He couldn't recall anything of having done such thing consciously. "Now, don't you have anything else to do?"

"With you?"

"Alone, of course. I'm sure people are dying right now."

Something lit up in Grell's eyes. "You're throwing me out after I've sold information to you? How mean, Sebastian!"

He didn't sound as if he truly found it unkind.

After a few polite and less-than-polite words, Sebastian was alone again, trying to comprehend why he hadn't sensed that shred back then. Maybe it was because after ripping it out, the boy's whole body had carried its soul's smell. In his delusional state, he must have been unable to distinguish the phantom scent from the one that belonged to the actual soul.

He waited for ten minutes before he put on his shoes, fetched an umbrella and went back into the rain. Even if Ciel had told him to stay away only two days ago, Sebastian wouldn't follow such orders anymore. The boy couldn't refuse him, anyway.

The Phantomhive townhouse was an hour's walk away from his apartment, but Sebastian didn't mind (after all, he was one hell of a pedestrian). When he arrived, there was no sight of the Undertaker's car. He did however see his former master walking away from the house. Wondering where the boy was going while still wearing his uniform, Sebastian followed him. Ciel walked slowly, as if contemplating something very difficult while moving. He didn't have an umbrella or a raincoat with him, letting the water soak his clothes.

He went to an old cemetery.

There, in a serene, small corner was a grave he swiftly walked to. Sebastian went to another grave far away from the one Ciel was visiting. From that distance, the boy shouldn't see his face. He lowered the umbrella a little to make sure he wasn't recognisable.

Ciel seemed too busy with something else to notice him. Sitting down in front of the grave stone so that his back faced Sebastian, he took something out of his pocket, rolled back his sleeves and took off his vest.

The rest went very quickly.

Three slashes along the vein in both arms, and one along his jugular vein.

Sebastian edged a little closer to watch the boy bleed to death with morbid fascination, wondering at the back of his head whether the Undertaker never helped him because of exactly that feeling. It took about one minute until Ciel seemed to feel dizzy. Later on, he lay down on the muddy grass (nobles didn't do that) and stilled.

Sebastian waited another five minutes before he walked over. The scent of the boy's blood assaulted him; he felt his mouth watering. First, he checked the boy's pulse, just to make sure that he was really dead. The left side of his throat gave him a lipless, vertical grin painted in red.

The demon couldn't detect a heartbeat anymore, nor was the boy breathing. He stood there, trying to resist a primitive urge, until he decided to just do it because this was a corpse right now and his animalistic instincts pressed him to do it. Going down on one knee, he took the boy into his arms and carefully licked the blood off the grin before the rain could wash it away.

It tasted divine.

The demon almost let out a moan, holding the child flush against his chest, letting the blood soil his clothes. Across the cemetery, his umbrella lay forgotten on the ground.

He needed to go before the Undertaker arrived… or anyone else, for that matter. He quickly rolled the sleeves of the boy's shirt down and dressed him in his discarded vest, trying to hide the worst. Fortunately, his own cardigan and shirt were black, so the blood wouldn't be seen.

He put the knife that Ciel used into his pocket and lifted the corpse into his arms once again, ignoring the reek that screamed 'Undertaker'. Before he left, he looked over his shoulder at the headstone, feeling amusement settling in his features when he read the words on it:

_Ciel Phantomhive_

_December 14, 1875 – August 26, 1889_

_Rest in peace_

Of course, the coffin that was six feet under was empty and this former Earl certainly wasn't resting in peace, for he would soon wake up again to his owner. Sebastian allowed the amusement to stay for a while, pressing the limp and rapidly cooling body closer before he broke out into a sprint. Only the fact that he was a demon helped him remain unnoticed. He was simply too quick for the people to notice that someone was moving past them.

When he arrived at his apartment, he glanced over his shoulder before closing the door behind him. No one had seen him.

For the second time that day, he was drenched. At the moment, however, his primary concern was Ciel's welfare. The boy could catch a cold when he was with the Undertaker; Sebastian would make sure that this wouldn't happen in his living quarters. He undressed the boy in the bathroom, and wondered briefly what the boy thought these days while looking into a mirror only to see the contract in his eye and the mark burned into his skin. The latter was still there, barely visible but if one looked for it, they'd find it easily.

As he wiped the blood off the body, he noticed that the cuts were already healing. The vertical grin in the boy's throat had already closed, leaving only the slashes in his arms. He cleaned those wounds and wrapped the boy in a fluffy towel before bringing him to his bedroom. Carefully, he laid the boy on the left side of his bed and went to change into another fresh set of clothes. When he was finished, he carried a chair from the kitchen into his bedroom which he placed next to the bed. Ciel's skin was waxen against the covers, his lips colourless. Sebastian didn't know how long the reviving process would take. As done before, he checked the boy's vitals. There was no pulse and the Ciel still wasn't breathing.

The demon pulled his chair a little closer to the bed and sat down.

Then he waited.

* * *

><p><em>Reviews are appreciated<em> =)


	4. Chapter 4

**Warnings:** Death, maybe... shota, _slight _Undertaker/Ciel-smut (the last time!), therefore lime; a dash of Sebastian/Ciel... And yes, even though I did my research, Ciel's state of health isn't quite correct, because... well, there's nothing about people who come back to life after dying from shock.

**Disclaimer:** You're funny. I still don't own Kuro.

**Chapter 4**

There was something terribly lonely about being dead.

Ciel actually hated it, the emptiness, the nothingness. He couldn't tell whether this was an actual death or not. Maybe he always stayed in some kind of primary stage to being dead without ever reaching the end. It didn't really matter. He still detested it.

Strangely, despite his hate for that place, it was peaceful, and that was what had him coming back every single time.

Here, he didn't have to think (he couldn't, actually). It was like floating through a void, like being swallowed by comfortable darkness.

The only unfortunate thing about death was the loneliness. Whenever the reviving process began, Ciel couldn't tell whether he was glad to leave that place or not.

Usually, it started with the soul's 'realization' that it couldn't escape his body. It was the same every time. The body would even try to reject it, but the contract would force it back inside, and the moment the shred settled back, there would be a jolt running through his body that Ciel would consciously notice. It was a violating power, pulling at his lungs so that they expanded, pressing down on his heart and imposing a frantic rhythm upon it. And Ciel would take a deep, gasping breath, his back arching from the way his muscles contracted agonisingly for a short moment. His eyes would open wide and there would be a pain, sharp and numbing, in his right eye.

And then there was no peace anymore.

Or loneliness, for that matter.

By that time, Ciel usually had the urge to see somebody again, something, _anything_, needed to know he was not _alone_ anymore. For that reason, the Undertaker had made a habit of finding his corpse and waiting until the boy woke up. Ciel appreciated the hidden message, the promise that the former reaper would be there, even if he never showed it. These days he wondered whether he'd let the demon kill him if he knew that the ultimate death wouldn't be so lonely.

This time, when Ciel felt the jolt, the staggering rhythm of his heart coming to life, his protesting muscles, he wanted to scream but instead of exhaling, he was forced to inhale and somehow, coming back to life wasn't only painful, it also was like emerging from numbness. The death that Ciel was a place without any physical feelings. Being in pain while coming back to life made a lot of sense, he guessed.

For a second, he was very sure that someone had tossed sand down his throat, for it was so dry. He almost didn't register that he was lying on a bed. Waiting for his heart to calm down, he finally noticed the world around him. '_That is _not_ the colour of my bedroom ceiling,' _was his very first thought, followed suit by_ 'Why is it so cold in here?'_. He tried to control his breathing, tried to turn his swimming head to the person who had brought him… where, actually? He didn't know, but he was sure that this someone who had picked him up from the graveyard wasn't the Undertaker.

As soon as the thought entered his head, Ciel shot up into an upright position, immediately regretting his thoughtless actions, for is vision started swimming uncomfortably while his head felt a little too light. His blood hadn't replenished fully. Despite his bad condition, he forced himself to see who had been waiting for him to wake up, dreading the revelation but already knowing that it couldn't be anyone else but –

"Sebastian."

The demon who sat at his side smiled and nodded. Ciel swallowed thickly, staring at the disguised creature. Hadn't he said that they wouldn't see each other again for a long time? Why was Ciel here then? It'd only been… - here he noticed that the lights were on, it might be well past midnight – three days since they last saw each other.

Well, maybe the demon was hungry. Who was Ciel to deny him what he possessed?

Sebastian came closer, a predatory air around him that made Ciel nervous all over, and reached for his arm, then his finger stroke the pale expanse of healed flesh where Ciel had cut himself.

Speaking of cutting oneself, Ciel wouldn't do it anymore. It was messy and took a little too long for his liking.

Not that he could ever try another experiment again; he'd receive his actual death right now…

"Young master," the demon said, "welcome back to the living. You are currently in my modest apartment. Your clothes were completely soaked. I took the liberty of undressing you, but it has gotten rather cool this evening, so can I offer you a pullover of mine?"

And Ciel noticed that he was only wearing a towel which had fallen off his chest, only covering his neither regions. He raised his eyebrows, still too stunned to speak, before he finally understood.

"You're not going to kill me?"

The demon shook his head.

Anger rose inside him. "Then why did you bring me here? I told you that I don't want to see y-"

"Ah, but who are you to issue orders?" Sebastian smiled broadly. The boy closed his mouth. "When I said that we wouldn't see each other for a long time, I lied as I wished to see your reaction to the statement. It was very... interesting." There was a very distinct emphasis on 'lied' that made Ciel bristle. It was mocking, embarrassing. Now the demon could do what he wanted, he was able to lie again and he seemed to enjoy in it, especially in front of Ciel. He moved closer and closer yet, until his hands rested next to either of Ciel's sides, until their faces were only inches apart. "Tell me, young master –"

"Don't call me that," the boy spat, refusing to back down.

"- do you have a death wish so strong that I can shock you with the mere prospect of living a while longer?"

Actually, Ciel had very confusing thoughts about death, none of which were easier to understand now that Sebastian was back in the picture again.

He didn't answer.

Warm breath touched his skin. Ciel had always found it interesting that the demon had a normal body temperature and remembered to breathe like a human being did. He looked at the full lips and felt his fury settle in his stomach. Fury and… fear? "So, then why am I here?" he asked, forcing himself to sound as normal as possible. A rather disturbing idea emerged. "Are you going to do what you spoke about? Will you have your way with me?"

Sebastian looked as if he wanted to laugh at him. "Do you want me to have my way with you?"

"What?" Ciel blinked, aghast. He pushed himself backwards. "Of course not, you vile creature! I'm in a relationship."

There was a low growl. Before the boy could say anything else, he was pushed down into the mattress, straddled and felt a pair of soft lips against his. One hand had his jaw in a firm grip while the other held his own hands over his head. Ciel shrank back but the demon simply followed, trying to coax his mouth open. When Ciel didn't give in, Sebastian's hand wandered down to his throat and suddenly tightened around it. The boy obeyed instinctively and his mouth was entered by a warm tongue that tasted of something dark and alluring.

Maybe Sebastian had lied when he'd said that he didn't want to take his soul yet. His words couldn't be trusted anymore.

But maybe, Ciel corrected himself as the hand leaving its place on his throat and moving downward, he'd lied about not using him for his pleasure.

When the towel was removed, Ciel was certain that his soul wouldn't be taken away anytime soon. The bastard was just playing with his prey like he had done years ago. Now, he'd taken the game to a new level. He had the liberty to do anything he wanted with Ciel. The boy felt panic settling inside his chest and tried to turn his head away. As soon as Ciel broke the contact, the demon proceeded to kiss the boy's exposed throat, sucking and biting hard enough to draw blood at one place. Ciel struggled against his firm grasp, hissing between clenched teeth. "Stop this immediately. I don't want this."

Sebastian smirked against his skin. Ciel could feel it. "Too bad that you don't have a say in it anymore," the demon said, sounding thoroughly amused.

Ciel's breath hitched in his throat. "You wouldn't."

"Remember who you are talking to." With his tongue, Sebastian traced a line down to a nipple and gave it a slow, languid lick while his free hand pinched the other.

Ciel couldn't help himself. He gave a low groan. The demon knew how to coax a reaction out of somebody, that he couldn't deny. Yet Ciel still fought Sebastian's iron grip with useless muscles, feeling a sharp headache coming its way.

The demon paused in his ministrations. "But on the other hand, you can be happy that I don't feel like taking you today."

Suddenly, the weight pressing down on Ciel was gone, and his arms were free. When the boy lifted his head to see where he'd gone (hopefully far, far away), Sebastian stood in front of his wardrobe on the other side of the room, looking for something. "Don't forget," he said casually, "eternity is ours. Eventually, you will come to my bed willingly."

And Ciel, panting from his surprisingly exhausting struggle, honestly wanted to sink into the ground and die.

He was tossed a pullover – cashmere? – and waited for some trousers or at least a pair of boxer shorts, not caring that they'd be quite loose, but the only thing that followed were thick, fluffy house socks. Ciel looked at the clothes. "Am I supposed to wear this and nothing else?"

"Why not?" Sebastian countered. "Everything else would be too big for you, and it's only temporary." He raised an eyebrow. "You can also run around naked, if you wish."

At this, the boy frowned. "I will do no such thing. Tell me immediately where my own clothes are."

"In the bathroom on the heater that doesn't heat, still soaking wet. Please do not put them on. Or else I will personally remove them from your body at once."

Ciel gritted his teeth and put on the clothes. The pullover reached past his bottom, looking more like a modern-day mini dress than a pullover. He clumsily rolled up the sleeves so that they wouldn't hang cover his hands. "Do you have a phone in here?"

Somehow, with Sebastian knowing that there was nothing beneath the fabric but naked skin, Ciel felt even more uncomfortable than he had with only a towel to cover himself. He shouldn't be, not really, for Sebastian had already seen him in various states of undress, but after this episode, he just felt the need to cover his body with more fabric than this.

"Why?"

"I wish to call the Undertaker," Ciel said. "Do not expect me to stay here."

He had noticed the twitch of Sebastian's eye at the mention of the former reaper. "You _do_ belong do me."

"I don't." Ciel felt like yelling, but he knew he wouldn't achieve anything by getting angry, so he maintained a cold expression.

Sebastian gave a low sigh and fetched a cell phone from the nightstand drawer. Ciel took it and dialled the Undertaker's number. The man answered right after the first ring. "Hello?"

Ciel pulled a face. Even a normal 'hello' could sound terribly creepy when said by the Undertaker. "It's me. I'm in –" He looked at the demon who told him which street they were in and Ciel repeated it over the phone to the Undertaker, telling him to come and pick him up.

"Are you with the demon?" the mortician asked.

"Who else would take a corpse to their apartment?"

Silence. "Point. I'll be there soon, little one."

Ciel hung up and returned the phone. "Do you have anything to drink?" his throat felt too dry and it was imperative that he drank something after having experienced such blood loss. After all, the replenishing only went so far.

"Tap water," Sebastian answered, sounding displeased either because of the fact that Ciel had called the Undertaker or because he couldn't provide a cup of tea. Ciel guessed it was a mixture of both.

"Forget it," he said, deciding to get out of the bedroom. As soon as his feet touched the ground, he feared his knees would buckle beneath him. Bleeding to death certainly had more disadvantages than jumping off buildings or hanging himself. He was feeling a lot weaker than usually.

When the boy finally made it to the living-room, he collapsed on the couch. Never had twenty steps been so exhausting. Sebastian followed him with a thoughtful expression on his face, leaning against the doorframe. "Why do you do such things?" he asked.

He didn't even have a TV in here. "Why shouldn't I?" Ciel looked up at him. He was tired from having to talk to the demon but what else could be done? He couldn't command him to stay quiet or go away anymore, and he had the distinct feeling that they would see each other regardless of Ciel's wishes of distance between them.

Much to his surprise, the demon fell silent, simply staring at him. Ciel couldn't say that he found this good, but it was better than having to talk to the other male, so he let him.

Soon the demon went away, though, which was even better. The boy was content just lying there, waiting, dozing and wondering whether he should tell Sebastian to get him a bottle of water from the next best store.

The bell rang about twenty minutes later. Ciel jumped off the couch – oh, hello, dizziness – and went to open the door. The Undertaker caught him before he could fall. "Oh, dear… What did you do this time?"

"Cut several veins." Ciel heard faint footsteps approaching and had an idea. He stretched his body, standing on his toes, and wrapped his arms around the Undertaker's neck. The pullover rode up his upper, possibly revealing a bit of his behind which made him cringe inwardly. He tried not to show it, instead kissed the Undertaker deeply who seemed to catch on and let his hands travel down the boy's back. Ciel felt one hand creeping closer to the exposed flesh –

When Sebastian cleared his throat rather loudly.

Breaking the kiss slowly, Ciel turned to give him an angry glare while the Undertaker cackled. The demon – whose eyes were red now – pushed Ciel's damp school uniform against the Undertaker's chest, right next to the boy's head. "These were the clothes the young master was wearing when I found him. They're not completely dry yet."

"Thank you," the Undertaker said, putting an arm around Ciel's shoulder. "We'll be going now." He waved; Ciel, on the other hand, didn't look back, letting the Undertaker lead him to his car and drive him home. Only when they were already sitting in the vehicle, almost at their house, did he speak up: "So… no underwear, little one?"

Ciel grinned, slouching in his seat and spreading his legs a little at which the hem of the fabric rode up his thighs. "No underwear."

"Hm," the Undertaker mused with a short glance downwards, "that Michaelis sure has an effect on you."

"He doesn't," said Ciel. "I simply desire sexual intercourse because I haven't had any in three years." He cocked an eyebrow. "After all, I'm still a grown man. I have needs."

At this, the Undertaker shrieked with laughter which lasted longer than necessary.

Ciel rolled his eyes, right about to give up on the subject when slightly calloused fingers with too-long nails started moving along the revealed skin of his upper thigh. He couldn't help but feel smug at his victory. "Do concentrate on where you're driving."

The hand retreated, its owner still giggling. "I still think your behaviour has to do with that demon."

"Are you trying to tell me that I desire him?"

A snort. "Not at all. I'm merely saying that while I don't have anything against playing your boyfriend, you should be careful about how much you enrage him. Demons can be very possessive, mind you."

Ciel had noticed that particular tendency. "That's why my partner is a reaper," he said. He couldn't tell whether he was trying to reassure himself or trying to convince the Undertaker. "I'm only trying to prove a point."

"Which is that you can't be fully possessed by him, yes, I know." His tone implied something that vaguely sounded like: 'Don't get too desperate about it.'

Ciel watched him for a long time, pondering. "I hope you won't find something more interesting than me. It would be awful if you did."

"I never was a person for good timing," the Undertaker said, cackling slightly. "Over a century is a very long time to spend with someone, don't you think?"

The boy stared. "Are you saying that...?"

"I'm not going to miss this," the former reaper interrupted him, "that's all."

It was all he would get for an answer, wasn't it? Ciel leaned back in his seat, frowning.

One finger touched the button that would switch the radio on, but the Undertaker never pressed it. "You know, you look worried."

"That's because I'm dehydrated," Ciel said, slightly irritated, and crossed his legs.

The former reaper snorted. "I'm serious, believe me. What happened?"

Ciel sighed. "I just don't want to see him again."

The Undertaker patted his thigh in what should have been a comforting gesture, but it only made Ciel feel like a sentimental teenaged girl. "I believe this is impossible."

And Ciel knew, he just _knew_ this, but that didn't mean he _welcomed_ it. Now, without his butler uniform, without any commands to issue, the demon was frightening, sitting at the back of Ciel's mind and smiling at his attempted struggles against him.

The Undertaker blatantly ignored the other cause of Ciel's discomfort and they both knew it.

They arrived at the townhouse and Ciel got out of the car, relieved that it was dark outside, otherwise he would've told the Undertaker to hide him. He shivered from the cool air and waited for the other male to open the front door (because he'd left the keys and other important things in his school bag which was lying on his bed).

After taking off his shoes, Ciel headed straight for the kitchen, fetched a bottle of water and started drinking from it while leaning against the kitchen table. He couldn't care less about manners right now. Glasses were overrated.

Halfway through the bottle, he felt something warm and solid pressing against him. The Undertaker lifted him onto the kitchen table and the boy wrapped his legs around the older male's waist, feeling hands under his pullover that had ridden up his hips. Ciel wanted him to take it off, his vision swimming for a second, but the former reaper refused, choosing to rock their hips together to distract the younger from his state of dress. He exhaled softly as he felt the rough material of the other's pants against his bare skin. Soon, Ciel kissed the other eagerly, occasionally nibbling at his lower lip. The Undertaker's fingers brushed the bruised spot on Ciel's neck. He broke the kiss to look at it and then bit the already sensitive spot which made the younger male hiss, the sensation going straight to his groin. Ciel guessed that it was bleeding again, but he couldn't bring himself to care anymore.

His head was feeling too light again. He thought of stopping the whole thing but... he really needed the distraction. "I'd rather lie," he therefore said. In response, the Undertaker simply pushed him down so that his back rested against the table surface. "In a bed, you moron," Ciel specified while the Undertaker spread his legs a little further.

The other man chuckled. "Later maybe."

In the end, they forgot about beds, but Ciel was already used to that.

* * *

><p><em>We're almost at a turning point!<em>

_*points at the review button* Please let me know what you think of this!_


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** I have no excuse for this. I felt like making Ciel feel a little bit... unwell.

As always:_ Thank you all for your reviews! You know how to make my day! =D_

**Warnings:** Temporary character death

**Disclaimer:** Not mine.

**Chapter 5**

It started two weeks after his experiment.

Ciel thought – no, he was _sure_ – that somebody was following him.

He went to school that day, after having skipped the last two weeks - with permission from the Undertaker who had been of the opinion that Ciel was still slightly disturbed (which he was _not_) by his encounter with Sebastian. Sometimes, the man behaved like an actual guardian, but only concerning his care for Ciel rather than making sure he was treated as society preferred it which didn't include letting the boy stay at home.

When he climbed out of the Undertaker's car, his eyes fell on a girl with blond, curly ponytails walking across the yard, apparently looking for someone. Most of the children were driven by their parents or chauffeurs, and most of those cars even had the same black colour, so he found it amusing when the girl tried to peep into every car, whether it had tinted windows or not.

He would say that life had its way to go back on him, but in the end, it had been him who had challenged it by summoning Sebastian instead of dying. Therefore, he guessed he deserved it to look at the girl that was – in manner and appearance – a perfect replica of his fiancée who had grieved for him until she had died giving birth to a child from a husband she'd never loved.

She'd only been seventeen back then.

Ciel remembered standing by her grave every day for a few minutes to hours, for six years, sometimes watching her daughter visiting the grave with the father, until the Undertaker had told him to pack his things, they'd go now, he should bid his goodbyes to his cousin. Ciel couldn't say that he'd ever loved her in the way she would've liked him to, but she'd been dear to him. On some levels, he was glad that it had never come to a wedding even if it had been his 'death' that decided the matter.

Last year, when he'd returned to London for the third time, they'd met in the school corridor. Ciel had stared at her, thinking he was hallucinating, dreaming, still affected by his last experiment (which had included a broken skull, after all), but she'd seemed so real, so he'd tried a tentative 'Elizabeth?'

She'd smiled, extending her hand – 'Please call me Lizzie; it sounds cuter' – before even wondering where he knew her name from.

Her face lit up when she caught sight of him. She started waving and calling his name in her high-pitched voice, then she apparently concluded that Ciel wouldn't come running to her, so she came running to _him_, wrapped her arms around his middle in a crushing hug and squealed with joy like a puppy whose master had returned.

Ciel looked down at her blonde head, thinking of her great-great-grandmother (he'd seen the family tree while visiting; life had a horrible sense of humour). "You can let me go now," he said as he caught a glimpse of the Undertaker shaking his head and laughing before driving away. After all, there were rules to being immortal. If one didn't want to get hurt, they shouldn't get involved with other people. Ciel – who had only been with the Undertaker since over a century – didn't want to get hurt emotionally or hurt anybody, not anymore. Yet, he'd allowed Lizzie to be his friend. It _would_ hurt, he guessed, when the time came to leave her again.

… There was a black spot in his peripheral vision.

Ciel turned his head, trying to see the splotch that wouldn't fit with the arriving scholars but he couldn't find anything. He carefully pushed Lizzie away and suggested going to their classes. She agreed with a bright smile, tugging him along and started talking about random things that apparently were very, very cute. Too distracted to listen, Ciel wondered whether he had problems with his sight. He was very old, but still human despite his ageless body, so... maybe one day something just had to fail, right?

"… and I'm soo excited about visiting you!"

His head snapped back to Lizzie, who was rambling about how she thought his room looked like. "When did I allow you to visit me?"

"Our biology project, you silly." She laughed. "It's due next week and we haven't met yet. Before you got sick you told me that I could come to your place."

"I never said that," Ciel muttered and was promptly rewarded with big, teary eyes. He gave up ten seconds later. "But why not? I don't have anything to do this afternoon."

She squealed, hugged him and then spotted one of her other friends with whom he didn't wish to mingle. The other girl blushed as she saw him and he refused to acknowledge her.

During lunch, when Lizzie forced her presence upon him (he didn't mind it _that_ much), the black splotch returned again. He noticed it but didn't turn his head yet, watching it from his peripheral vision. It stood by one of the canteen's tables. Ciel couldn't be sure but it seemed as if it had a very male form.

Could it be…?

Enraged, Ciel rose to his feet, startling poor Lizzie in the process, and rushed out of the hall, leaving his food untouched. Sebastian was following him now, wasn't he?

Ciel wanted to scold the demon for this, but forced himself to calm down. He would not be affected by this. This was getting to his head too quickly. If he distressed, he'd give Sebastian what he wanted to see and maybe even earlier than he was expected to. It would only show the demon how well he had played Ciel. He certainly wasn't there to entertain that creature. He'd accepted that he was nothing more but food, no matter what he thought about it. He almost felt inclined to tell the demon that one shouldn't play with their meal and just eat it already, but he guessed it would sorely backfire.

After school, he let Lizzie come to his house. They walked the long way home, and while Lizzie stopped at bakeries and boutiques, Ciel carefully checked every area they came by. There were no black stains hiding in the crowd or leaning against walls. The former Earl couldn't say that he was relieved.

Lizzie was complaining about her feet by the time they arrived at his house, claiming that ladies shouldn't walk in shoes such as hers. Ciel apologized and promised her a cup of coffee with a slice of cake at her favourite café –

Of course she forgot about her pains after hearing that. Of course.

Ciel didn't see the Undertaker's car outside. Letting Lizzie enter the house first, he looked around again before following. The girl was taking off her shoes, quiet now that she'd run out of things to talk or complain about.

Ciel wanted to lead her upstairs to his room when he heard voices coming from the living-room. He froze, one foot on the first step, and wondered who had managed to break in. His thoughts were directed to Sebastian at once, but he wouldn't believe it yet. It didn't seem to fit the demon's aesthetics to break into his house.

And indeed, he didn't find Sebastian when he entered the living-room, but Ronald Knox and Grell Sutcliff lounging on his expensive leather sofa and discussing the sense of cosmetics or booze or beauty in death or something else Ciel didn't care about. While Ronald looked a little lost in the conversation, Grell - who was sitting _with his feet on the couch_ - was pointing his nail file at him, fixing him with a meaningful look, but his sentence never even began, for he noticed that Ciel was standing in the doorframe.

Hence, there was silence.

"What," Ciel began, almost deciding that he didn't even want to know, "are you doing in my house?"

The two reapers looked at each other as if they weren't sure of the answer, until Grell cleared his throat and took his feet off the couch to assume a politer sitting position with one leg draped over the other. "Dear Ciel, long time no see."

The boy instantly recalled an image of the other man in a black pencil skirt, a white blouse, red pumps, a red coat and shuddered at the memory of the reaper as his 'mother'. He'd used exactly the same words when he'd came to their New York apartment, hanging off the Undertaker's arm and giggling as if he'd adopted the former reaper's level of weirdness. "That doesn't answer my question," Ciel said at last, forcing the picture away.

"We came here to –"

"Ciel?" Lizzie stuck her head into the living-room. "Oh," she said when she saw the reapers (eyeing Grell's clothes suspiciously), "you've already got visitors."

"Yes, well." Ciel cleared his throat before he introduced them to each other, naturally leaving out the fact that they were reapers and instead told her that they were his cousins. Lizzie smiled and waved politely before telling them why she was here, then she excused herself and went up to wait for Ciel.

Grell stared after her. "She looks a lot like your late fiancée," he finally said. "Trying to ease your conscience?"

"Not at all," Ciel said. "Now tell me why you're here."

"You tried to kill yourself again," Grell said. "We get a note about a suicide when you do it, and it's quite bothersome. We always need to see whether you really died this time or not, even though everybody knows you just can't stay dead."

Ciel merely smiled, already planning his next death out of spite. He'd been shadowed by reapers all over the world and they'd all said the same. He didn't care about the notes they got or not, but, amusingly, all of them found it imperative that they stick their noses into his business.

"Also, you've lured the demon back to London," said Ronald from the other end of the couch, almost as if he'd read Ciel's thoughts, "and I'd like to have some free time. When is your guys' business done?"

"Whenever he wishes," Ciel responded. "I do not have a say in it."

"You really can't do anything to speed up the process?" At Ciel's glare, Ronald held up a notebook. "We needed to interview you sooner or later. Don't take it personally."

"You're basically asking me to die," the boy said. "How can I not take this personally?"

"Because it's what you're supposed to do, anyway." When Grell seemed pleased by the way his nails looked, he put his file back and leaned against the sofa. "Your business with Sebby is our business, too. He forms contracts here. A criminal has already lost her soul. The scene was art, though." He smiled dreamily. "Sebby has a good taste."

Ciel didn't even blink. "I'd prefer you leave it to Sebastian and me to conclude the contract on our own terms."

At this, Grell's lips curved upwards. Ciel wondered whether there was something he'd missed. "You may do that. But it still is our problem."

The boy raised an eyebrow. "So, what is it that you want me to do?"

"It's easy, actually," Ronald said. "We want the demon gone. In the last years, they haven't been on Earth too often. We hope to keep it that way. Sebastian should go back to hell for a while after making sure that you are gone."

"You cannot force me to end my life." Ciel crossed his arms in front of his chest. "If you do, I still have the liberty to leave England."

"You do, but this has become an international problem," Grell said. "I wish I could show you the papers, but Will didn't entrust me with them." Ronald sharply turned his head to the older reaper. Ciel couldn't see his expression… The redhead didn't even glance at his younger partner; instead he chose to give the former Earl a wide, sharp-toothed grin. "Wherever you go, the demon will find you, which makes you two an immediate problem to the other countries' reapers. No one wants a boy followed by a demon; they all have their own to deal with. As I said, it has become our business, too." He got up and nonchalantly flipped his long hair over his shoulder. "The English dispatch society allows you to conclude your contract on your own terms. I can't say that the others will allow you so much freedom, too. They might be... less friendly with you, since they certainly have their methods." A grin that might should be considered as charming appeared on the reaper's lips. "But do us a favour and end the contract soon."

By the time the redhead finished, Ciel's throat was dry. He swallowed carefully. "Are you done?" he asked, raising his chin and showing an emotionless façade.

"I am." Grell paused, then shrugged. "Sorry, kiddo. We only meet for bad news, it seems."

Not that he appeared apologetic. Ciel could see how the reaper didn't even care but rather fixed a point somewhere on his chest and started grinning again. "It does not matter," the boy said. "I hope you find the door by yourselves. There are other things I have to do."

The two reapers bowed, Grell informing him that they'd wait for the Undertaker. With a sinking feeling in his stomach, Ciel turned around and exited the room as fast as possible without breaking into a run. He heard Ronald saying something but only caught the word 'mean'. When he climbed up the stairs, he heard a door open, announcing the Undertaker's presence.

Elizabeth was sitting at his desk, pencil in hand and taking notes from her biology book. She'd taken the liberty of switching on his laptop but had been stopped from further use by the password lock. Ciel stared at her for a moment, just _stared_ as she turned to him, resembling his fiancée to the colour of her eyes and the curl of her hair, beaming until she noticed what he looked like (he settled for dishevelled, confused, angry…). Downstairs, he could hear Ronald's loud voice greeting the Undertaker, as well as Grell's attempts at flirting. His stomach twisted into a knot. Why exactly would they want to speak to his guardian, anyway? Would they tell him the same things? Ciel could do that himself. They didn't have to repeat themselves. For a short second, Ciel hoped their talk would be about reaper related things, maybe a simple reunion.

He doubted it.

Elizabeth, looking worried, got up from his chair and carefully came closer. "Is something wrong?"

"Not at all," Ciel answered and hoped that she wouldn't pick up the slight crack in his voice.

Unfortunately, she did. "Oh, Ciel, did something happen?"

He shook his head. "It doesn't matter. Let's get to work." He quickly tipped in the password and skimmed over Lizzie's notes, leaving a rather bewildered girl in the doorway.

A scream fought for listeners, but Ciel kept it in his throat, swallowing it down with force. He couldn't believe this. Since Sebastian's appearance, things were rapidly tuning into a direction he knew he couldn't avoid. All of this was the demon's fault, of course it was, and it didn't matter whether he feigned ignorance or not, because now he was a liar who had manipulated their contract.

Ciel knew that he had to die whether he wanted it or not, but the reapers' involvement didn't sit well with him. He'd been a king back then, a noble who had held all the threads in his hands, who had kept his pawns in check, who'd had his knight at his side.

Now, Ciel was no king anymore. He was one of the pawns he so often had used; now, the reapers were trying to use _him_, to sacrifice him to the knight, so that one of their problems would remove itself.

He couldn't concentrate on their assignment, but of course Lizzie didn't notice his detachment, for he was giving her correct answers and tips from memory. He'd done this five times before, after all, or ten, he couldn't tell anymore. It didn't matter, anyway.

They worked quickly, and as soon as they had gathered all the information they needed, he took her home, choosing to ignore the black splotch standing across the street. After taking the bus for a few stops (he couldn't understand why she always wanted to take the bus when she had chauffeurs to drive her around), Ciel couldn't sit still any longer. He politely asked Elizabeth whether they could walk the rest of the way. She agreed, because she needed to chat a bit more, having remembered other things that she wanted to tell him, and he needed the peaceful appearance of a setting sun. It didn't matter that the Undertaker had been in the house to drive her home, laughing loud enough with the reapers for Lizzie to want to take a look. Right now, Ciel didn't want to exchange a word with any reaper at all, retired or not.

He left her at the front door of her house, quickly disappearing before she entertain the idea of having him over for dinner, and walked back, bearing the irrational hope that someone might kidnap him so that he didn't have to return to the Undertaker for a while. There was a very bad feeling in his stomach when he thought of the reapers having a conversation with him.

He couldn't see anything around him but somewhere deep inside - from one second to the next - he just knew he was being followed. With every passing minute, his suspicions got stronger. When he couldn't bear the feeling of eyes on his back anymore, he whirled around, only to be greeted by emptiness once more.

"Sebastian," he said, uncertain but trying to hide it. "Show yourself."

There was a light chuckle right behind him. The demon was casually leaning against a house wall. Ciel couldn't feel the eyes on his back anymore.

"Good evening," Sebastian said.

Ciel brushed past him without an answer.

Of course, the demon followed. "Young master, you are being quite rude."

As if he cared. Ciel let the demon walk next to him as he tried to control his anger. This was entirely the demon's fault. The reapers wouldn't have thought of using Ciel against him if he hadn't reappeared.

Ciel hated being used.

"I rather not see you again," he said.

"That's harsh." In the street lights, he could see Sebastian smiling.

"You seem to enjoy it," Ciel said snidely and was immediately rewarded: The demon stopped in his tracks as the boy continued his way. He would have liked to see Sebastian's expression.

Unfortunately, his satisfaction lived a short life, for his former butler was suddenly walking next to him again.

"My," he purred, "I didn't expect that."

"So I was right?" Ciel asked and could have banged his head against the next wall for that question. But he didn't; his pride was hurt, yet he still had his dignity. "You should stop following me."

"But you are the only interesting thing around here. I need to know where you are."

"Usually at my house. Sometimes at school."

"I still have to kill the time before I get you all to myself."

Ciel thought he hid the chill that went down his spine quite well. "Go away," he said.

"Never, young master."

"And when will you stop calling me that? Are you mocking me?"

The demon raised an eyebrow. "Of course I am."

… Well, at least he was honest. He hadn't quite expected that.

Ciel fumed inwardly and quickened his pace, knowing that his short legs would never be fast enough in comparison to Sebastian's ridiculously long (and strong) ones. But he liked the illusion of a growing distance between him and Sebastian, and soon enough, when he turned to see whether he was still smirking, the demon was gone.

Ciel stopped right then, waiting, with the childish feeling of betrayal. The demon had satisfied his curiosity.

He resumed walking again.

After a while, he arrived at his house. Upon entering, he noticed how silent it was. Usually, when the Undertaker was at home early, he'd be sitting in the living-room, polishing his death scythe and humming pop songs or circus music under his breath, more often than not Chopin's Funeral March.

Frowning, Ciel took off his shoes and put away his vest. Maybe the Undertaker was taking a shower. His car had been standing outside, so he hadn't been called away to fetch someone's body.

The boy went to the kitchen first – no Undertaker here -, preparing a cup of tea. When that was done, he went into the living-room. He couldn't hide his surprise when he saw his guardian sitting comfortably on the sofa, his eyes closed and breathing evenly. He had never seen the other man sleeping before. Oddly fascinated by the image, he stood there, cup in his hand, and couldn't suppress the relief that washed over him. He'd almost thought the Undertaker had lef-

The man's head lifted, a hand patting the spot next to him. "Ciel, dear, come closer."

The boy didn't scowl at this, instead, he sat down, waiting for the other male to explain himself.

Nothing was said for a long time.

"I'll open an account first thing in the morning," the Undertaker began at last. "And I'll leave some cash on the kitchen counter."

Ciel stared at him. So he was going to… "Did they tell you to leave me?"

"They suggested it." The older male smiled ruefully at him. "They said they'd provide me greater entertainment."

"You'll leave me for the laughs?" Ciel was painfully reminded of his young body. He wouldn't mind if he'd had the chance to grow a few inches, but, alas, the contract preserved his body. He would be barely able to do anything to keep his finances upright with his appearance. Child labour was no option; he had to go to school, had to pay bills and couldn't earn any money.

He didn't even know how to cook anything else than noodles.

"I am of greater entertainment than the reapers and whatever they offered to you." The Undertaker couldn't leave yet. "You told me you'd stay."

"I did, but this option has become inconvenient." The Undertaker looked at him from the corner of his eyes, hands folded in his lap.

"Inconvenient?" Ciel was sure his voice was several nuances too high. "It's inconvenient to me if you leave and to you because you'll have to look for another source of entertainment."

"I won't have to." The older male got up from the couch and bent over the boy to kiss his forehead.

Ciel shook his head. "Don't you understand? They are trying to get you away from me."

"I know that," the Undertaker said, still smiling.

Ciel wanted to hit him. "Then why are you going? As much as I hate to say it, I need a guardian these days. If someone finds out that you are gone, they'll put me away. Imagine the chaos that will ensue when they realize that I won't age."

"Then don't get caught, my little lamb. Find yourself a new guardian."

Watching the grin on the other's face, Ciel understood. "Sebastian."

"Precisely."

The boy blinked. It made sense now.

It was only so much more unsettling. "Don't go. Don't leave." He didn't care about the fact that he was almost begging. He could scold himself for it later. Grabbing the Undertaker by his collar, the boy pulled him close enough for their noses to touch. "I order you to stay with me."

The Undertaker laughed. "I'm not your butler, dear. You can't command me to stay."

"That's…" The boy paused. The former reaper would truly leave without any other care in the world except for his idiotic laughter. He'd leave Ciel to deal with Sebastian. _Alone_. And he wasn't ready for this. "That's cruel."

A smirk. "It's crueller to stay and give you the illusion of protection from something that has the right to kill you."

Ciel didn't give in, fixing the other one with a glare. "But _you_ could kill _him_. You know you could."

"That is true, dear, but I know that you'd never forgive me if I did."

Ciel frowned. That wasn't exactly true, but he knew the Undertaker never changed his opinions easily.

When Ciel didn't answer, the former reaper pried the boy's fingers from his collar, kissing the knuckles of one hand. The younger male didn't blink. "You said you'd stay. That you wouldn't want to miss this."

"I never specified that I'd stay _with_ you," the Undertaker said. "I'll stay _around_, that's what I'll do, and watch this from a distance."

That lying _bastard_. Ciel's stomach flipped uncomfortably. Was everybody trying to make fun of him? He was too old to react to such things, but still young enough to become enraged by the fact that people were telling him half-truths.

The Undertaker looked at him through unruly bangs. No hair pins this time, Ciel noticed. What an inconvenient moment to see such things. "We might not meet again before your death. Please know that I'll craft another, more beautiful coffin for you when this is over. I'll adorn your grave with the most elegant flowers and give you the loveliest headstone available out there." The smirk was replaced by a softer smile. "You might want to go to bed. You've got school tomorrow. Don't worry; I'll be gone by the time you wake up."

Not caring how juvenile he sounded, he said, "Then I won't sleep, you moron."

The Undertaker snickered. Ciel thought he did it because there was nothing to laugh at right now. There was only an old mind trapped in a boy's body that was being passed over to a possessive demon without any further resistance.

"That won't work." The Undertaker straightened and cocked his head to the side. "After all, you might follow me when I go."

"I will," Ciel said, noting the bitter undertone in his voice. "You'll have to kill me if you don't want me to go with you."

The Undertaker sighed deeply before he blew a particularly annoying strand of hair out of his face. "Believe me, little lamb, I won't enjoy this."

And his hands wrapped around Ciel's neck and _pressed_. "Oh, and Ciel?" His hands felt cool against the boy's skin. "I will certainly treasure the memory of our time together. You have brought me great entertainment and wonderful company, but I guess this will be the final act of your play, don't you think?"

Ciel wanted to shake his head, but for one, it was quite difficult to do so when one was being strangled, and two, he saw no sense in it. The Undertaker was right about what he'd said, therefore there was no need for him to struggle anymore.

He closed his eyes and waited.

* * *

><p><em>There we are! So what do you think of the Undertaker's depart? And of the overall chapter, of course.<em>

_ I'm very curious about your opinion, so please review! =D Constructive criticism is also welcome, by the way._

_From the next chapter on, there will be much more of Sebastian. Let it all begin! _

… _Next week. =P_

_By the way, I'm really sorry to those who have this fic on their alert list: There were some problems with uploading this chapter, so I was experimenting... chough... please forgive me._


	6. Chapter 6

**Warnings:** Sebastian being an asshole for the "lulz", if you count that as a warning.

**A/N:** This certainly is an unromantic romance done in an increasingly darkening style. If you compare the amount of despair and not-romance to romance in this fic, there definitely is a lot more of the former than of the latter. (And yes, I do make an distinction between 'Love' and 'Romance') I'm thinking of changing the genre into Drama only or something like that. Ah, we'll see...

Hehe, interesting responses from you guys. Less of you than I thought were okay with the Undertaker's depart; I didn't really expect that. But that's good (that you're not exactly happy about him being gone), because, as he said, he'll definitely stick around.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Kuroshitsuji.

**Chapter 6**

A jolt went through Ciel, forcing his heart into motion, pushing air into his lungs. He flinched as he opened his eyes without seeing anything. His body fell to the floor, his mind barely registering the impact.

His right eye hurt so much.

Groggily, he sat up, looked around and recognised his own bedroom. At least he hadn't woken up in Sebastian's bed this time. It was a beginning.

However... he was alone.

He blinked, confused by the mere fact. The ground beneath him felt solid and real. There was no chair next to his bed in which the Undertaker could have sat. Where was that man when you needed him? The reaper knew very well that Ciel -

… Oh.

He practically ran to the bathroom, hoping that he'd dreamt up yesterday's events. When he looked at his reflection in the mirror, his hopes were nullified: Angry bruises curled around his throat, outlining the Undertaker's hands. He'd pressed harder than Ciel remembered.

The boy turned to lean against the bathroom sink and frowned.

This was really bad.

When he went downstairs, his cup from yesterday stood empty on the coffee table.

**OOO**

Grell was in his apartment again.

Sebastian really should have contemplated a change of living quarters.

"Get out of my bed, reaper."

The redhead who had been sleeping with his nose buried in Sebastian's pillows lifted his head with a yawn, completely waking up when he spotted the demon standing in the doorway. "You look lovely today, Sebby."

"And you look the same as always," the demon said.

The reaper didn't take it as bad as he'd thought. He gave an exaggerated sigh and threw himself back into the pillows. "I'm still trying to add some spice to our uniforms, but getting the request past Will is harder than you'd expect."

"Why are you here?" Sebastian asked. He wanted the reaper gone.

"We were at the kid's house yesterday." Two or three somewhat suggestive poses later, Grell was out of Sebastian's bed. At least he'd taken his shoes off before lying down. However, the demon still had to go and wash the covers. "And had a little chat with both the boy and the Undertaker.

That must be why the boy had seemed angry yesterday. "What did you say?"

"Told him that he should die a little quicker. And that this whole ordeal has become international."

Sebastian found himself smirking. "Is that even true? Have we become an international problem?"

"Not _yet_. Gotta wait until the next big meeting." Grell played with a strand of his own hair. "Will said that he wasn't going to do more than tell the other dispatch societies about you two. It's enough, though. They'll automatically reject the kid. I guess he knows that, so he'll stay, which means that I can get his cinematic record."

"You sure want that record," Sebastian said."But a bluff to keep him here isn't enough for me to seriously consider this. The things you've said so far have only contributed to your own plan."

"It's not a bluff!" the reaper scoffed, lifting a hand to his chest in (mocked?) exasperation. "And I _have_ done something for my Sebby! The Undertaker is gone."

"Pardon?" the demon asked. Now this was interesting.

"We spoke with him, Ronnie and me. As soon as we started talking about greater entertainment if he watched from a distance, he was in. He's given up on the boy since he first saw you again and doesn't wish to stand in your way as long as you don't harm Ciel unnecessarily."

And the demon had thought the Undertaker would be more difficult to remove. In the end, he was still the same person, still fishing for laughs, still taking immoral and questioning lengths to attain some entertainment. How could Sebastian have thought that just because he was Ciel's protector now he wouldn't leave?

A smile found its way to Sebastian's lips and he came closer to the redheaded reaper. The man was using perfume, he immediately noticed, but at least it smelled tolerable. "I believe," he said, coming closer still, "that someone has earned a special cinematic record."

Grell squealed loudly, jumping from one foot to the other. Sebastian rolled his eyes and added, "Almost."

That shut the reaper up.

"You are more likely to get it, but I don't want to you to think that I'm certain in my decision." If his words disappointed the reaper, their proximity distracted the man from getting angry. The demon smiled, content with his ability to charm people by standing close to them, and walked to the bedroom door.

The reaper blinked, shook his head while Sebastian leaned against the wall. He wanted to tell him to go when Grell spoke up again: "When this is over, we want you to leave England."

Sebastian was not impressed. "So you'd rather have me upsetting other dispatch societies?" He looked at the hand that once had borne the contract mark. "I've grown sick of this place, anyway. After he has died, I shall leave."

**OOO**

It took Ciel a week to go back to school again.

Sebastian had watched the boy carefully throughout the whole time. They both knew that if the boy didn't want to be found by the authorities, he had to get a new guardian, which would be the demon himself.

It was simply a matter of pride, Sebastian mused, as he watched the boy leave the house while eating the last apple. He'd gone to the supermarket the only the day before, obviously disliking the whole idea of having to go there in person. Sebastian had had a good time watching him. Despite his age, Ciel was rather helpless when it came to trivial things such as grocery shopping. He tended to buy too little - too little of the actual food, that is, for he sure was generous when it came to buying sweets.

The girl resembling Lady Middleford met him in the school building, gushing all over him, asking him whether he'd been sick. Ciel tiredly gave a negative answer and they went to their first class. Sebastian followed them into the room, taking in the children passing the time until lessons began.

When the boy turned around once, the demon – only a formless spot among people who couldn't see him – made sure to step into his line of vision.

Ciel pointedly looked past him, exchanging a few short words with a blond boy and turned to face the board again.

During the lesson, Sebastian remained in the room, standing behind some of the children to hear what they were talking about – really, all of them talked about the same thing; how monotonous -, before deciding that Ciel remained the most interesting person in here. He went back to the boy and looked over his shoulder, reading the notes written in a beautiful hand. The boy changed his pen for a pencil to scribble something on the edge of his paper: _'Go away.'_

Sebastian silently laughed to himself, took hold of the boy's hand and guided him to write the word _'Never'_.

The boy hissed and erased the short exchange.

It was a basic math lesson of which Sebastian quickly grew bored. He figured Ciel was even more bored, so he'd make this more interesting. First, he rested his hand on the boy's head, brushing through silky strands. Ciel froze automatically.

'_Don't you dare touch me,'_ was written on his notes.

Sebastian smiled serenely and bent down to nibble on the boy's earlobe. Ciel practically jumped out of his skin with a low yelp of surprise, pulling at the teacher's attention.

Sebastian had a field day.

"Is you don't agree with?" the man asked sceptically.

Ciel hesitated before he shook his head. "I'm sorry. Guess I'm still not feeling well."

Sebastian let his breath ghost over the skin of Ciel's cheek, letting him know he was still there. When he felt the little shudder of the Ciel's body, he was only further amused. The teacher allowed the boy to go outside for a few minutes and the boy politely thanked him. He quickly erased his last words to Sebastian before getting up and out of the class room.

The demon followed him with long, measured strides.

Ciel ignored him, and that was it.

The demon didn't do anything for the rest of the day.

Sebastian guessed he'd allow the boy at least that much control. Let _him_ initiate a conversation. Let him come and ask the demon to take the Undertaker's role. Time was running short, wasn't it? Sebastian knew that the Undertaker wasn't working at his shop anymore; he'd disappeared, just like that. Soon, people would notice that the former reaper wasn't even with his ward anymore.

… If Ciel wanted it that way, he didn't really mind, for he knew that he'd find his former master anywhere. But he guessed that the boy only didn't want the demon to point out that he needed him.

So Sebastian became passive.

The next day, he showed that he was there whenever Ciel left the house or returned, but he did no move to approach the boy who started sending him confused glances by day two. He was searching the demon's presence by day three, always looking around as if he didn't want him to stay away. By day four – Friday -, the boy grudgingly scribbled something on his notes: _'I see you've changed tactics.'_

Sebastian didn't formulate an answer.

The boy slammed his pencil flat on the table, startling Lady Middleford's look-alike in the process and pulling the ill-humoured teacher's mood further down.

When the boy returned to his house, he sneered at the dusty floor, then glared at the unused stove and went into his room. Sebastian quickly found the cabin that kept the cleaning utensils and proceeded to clean the entire house with exception of Ciel's bedroom. His former master seemed incapable of cleaning properly; however, Sebastian doubted that Ciel had even looked at the vacuum cleaner or entertained the idea of tidying up.

He wanted to bake a chocolate cake, but when he saw the stash of sweets in the kitchen, he quickly decided that he'd have to cook something healthier than that. There was nothing in the fridge that he could use for his intentions, so the subject 'meal' was quickly concluded.

"Sebastian."

The boy's stern voice came from upstairs. Sebastian obediently left the kitchen and spotted the boy at the top of the stairs, wearing a black, thin turtleneck and loose pants. He had removed his eye patch and the sight of the contract etched into the eye made Sebastian want to take him right there in every possible way. How could he have let the Undertaker keep the boy for so long?

Ciel was raising an eyebrow.

He blinked. "Yes, young master?"

The former Earl wrinkled his nose. "Don't call me that. Why are you in my house?"

"I thought I should lend you a hand in cleaning."

"I don't need your help."

"I apologise."

After a short pause, the boy exhaled. "But I intended to talk to you." He cleared his throat, pulling a face as if the following hurt him physically. "As you might have noticed, the Undertaker is gone. He has a deal with the reapers, therefore he won't return."

"That is unfortunate."

"Shut up," Ciel said, surprising the other a little with his vehemence. Sebastian politely kept quiet. "You arranged this, didn't you?"

He blinked. "Young master? Why would I make deals with reapers? We aren't friendly with each other."

"But you do have related goals," Ciel insisted, stopped himself and then waved his hand as if it didn't matter.

And it didn't, Sebastian thought, at least not to him.

Ciel looked at a spot behind the demon's head, still unable to fully relax his pained expression. "I am in need of a new guardian before someone notices that I'm alone."

Sebastian simply nodded, waiting for the boy to ask him the question.

As expected, the boy remained silent, looking even more uncomfortable. "You know what I want from you," he said after a minute had passed.

"I might," Sebastian said, smirking, "but in order for me to confirm my suspicions, you need to ask me."

Ciel rolled his mismatched eyes. "Fine. I order you to be my guardian."

That certainly hadn't been a question. Sebastian clicked his tongue disapprovingly, but now the boy had given him a proper excuse to enjoy this new arrangement. He figured he could try it out, have a little bit of fun. "That's not how it works. Not anymore." He motioned for the boy to come closer. "Your position doesn't equal your place. It is imperative that you stand on the same ground as I do, for starters."

Taking steps that showed how unwilling he was, the boy climbed down the stairs. Anger was dusting his cheeks in a soft red. "There. Are you happy?"

"Not in the slightest." Sebastian smirked. He was going to enjoy this. "You still haven't asked me."

A very long silence emerged. Ciel looked as if he wanted to slap him. "Would you please replace the Undertaker as my guardian?" he asked through gritted teeth.

Sebastian raised an eyebrow. "The way you formulated this phrase makes me even less inclined to take care of you. Maybe I should hand you over to the authorities. After all, I can do whatever I want with my property. I might as well give it away and entertain myself with the whole world's reaction to it."

"You wouldn't," Ciel said. It reminded Sebastian of their time in his apartment.

"Remember who you are talking to," he said, recalling his own words.

The boy fell silent again, looking at him in cold fury.

He was always so angry these days.

"There, let me help you." With two long strides, Sebastian stood in front of the boy. He put his hand on Ciel's shoulder and pushed him down a little. "On your knees."

"_What_?"

"My, are you hard of hearing? I want you to get on your knees and beg."

The look in Ciel's eyes nearly had him toppling over with laughter. The boy's face flushed a darker colour as he ducked away from Sebastian's hand. "I certainly won't endure this humiliation. I will not beg!"

"Please don't say that, young master. 'Never' is hardly an option you can afford." Sebastian's smirk grew wider. "I _order_ you to get on your knees."

At first, pure confusion was written all over Ciel's face. When the altered contract forced him onto his knees, the expression changed into a curious mixture of panic and anger. He raged and cursed under his breath as he tried to get back on his feet, which was a rather impossible thing to do.

"Don't tell me you never thought of this new contract's benefits." The demon smiled. "The tables have turned and I have become the master in this arrangement."

Realization dawned in Ciel's face. "You have done this before."

There was no need to lie about that one, Sebastian figured. "Yes, I have left the other end of a contract unfulfilled once in a while, taking the upper hand of the ordeal… However, _this_" – he stroked Ciel's silken hair – "is a first. I've never had a half-empty shell involved in the contract."

"Don't you dare call me a shell, you disgusting, filthy _liar_," Ciel spat. "Of all the demons I could have formed a contract with – "

Sebastian interrupted him. "This is an order. Beg for my guardianship."

Ciel's vocal chords immediately stopped him from continuing his rant. He gave a pained moan, a surprisingly deep, guttural sound that went right to the demon's crotch, and bent forward a little so that he was hovering over the demon's feet, his face a lovely shade of red. Sebastian had the impression that he was trying to fight against the order. How futile.

"Please take care of me." Ciel looked disgusted at his own words. "Now that the Undertaker is gone, there is nobody I could ask." A pause. "I promise I will behave if that is what you want from me." At this, shock painted the boy's features and he bowed his head in shame. "Please claim guardianship of me, Sebastian."

The demon, watching the steadily changing expressions in Ciel's face, was enjoying himself way too much. Humiliating the boy was almost better than manipulating him. He was almost tempted to do this more often. Or maybe he should just prolong this episode a little… "You said you'd behave. Does that mean you'd do anything…?"

Ciel immediately understood the implication and kept quiet, hand clamped over his mouth. Sebastian knew that the contract wouldn't intervene here but he decided not to inform the boy of that particular detail.

"You don't have to answer me," he finally said, feeling generous. Ciel's shoulders sunk slightly in relieve. "Your begging wasn't very good, but since it is your first time, I shall turn a blind eye and become your guardian. You have fulfilled my order." He watched the boy struggling to get on his feet without looking up. His sadistic side got the better of him yet again. "But stay on your knees."

And the contract forced Ciel back down. Sebastian could see it in the way the younger male was trembling while trying to disobey, but in the end, the supernatural force was stronger than him. The demon relished in the new power he held over the boy. He'd never been this satisfied after betraying one of his contractors. Ciel's wounded pride and dignity only fuelled his own sense for possessiveness because he knew _he'd_ been the one to inflict those invisible injuries on the boy. "How does it feel to be the one to follow orders?" he asked, bending down to grab the boy's chin and force it up. The boy had no choice but to look at him.

"Terrible," he muttered and averted his gaze, looking very exhausted. Sebastian's fingers tightened around his jaw until he looked at the demon. "This is one of the worst betrayals I've ever experienced."

The demon felt something akin to sharp teeth at the back of his head but repressed it (well, so much for the satisfaction). He let his hand wander up the boy's upper thigh, earning a sharp inhale.

"Remove your fingers this instant."

Sebastian didn't listen. Instead, he brought the hand to the boy's face, tenderly brushing the blue-grey hair out of his flushed face. Ciel glared at his arms even though he seemed surprised by the sudden tenderness. "I hope this has stilled your sick pleasure... If you do it again, I can't guarantee that the Undertaker won't find you. He knows how to kill you."

"I prefer you don't talk of him anymore," Sebastian said disapprovingly.

This brought the echo of an idea to Ciel's face. "Why, are you scared of the competition? We were on a good basis before you came." The way he tilted his head in challenge exposed a part of his neck. There was the beginning of an angry, purplish bruise peeking out underneath the fabric of his turtleneck. Where did it come from?

Without asking for permission (and why should he, anyway?), he pulled down the fabric covering the boy's neck to reveal the handprints that grotesquely contrasted the pale skin. Ciel tried to avoid his touch, but a warning look from Sebastian stopped him.

He guessed that the bruises were from the Undertaker. Sebastian hadn't seen them yet because Ciel had been wearing scarves to school. However, the Undertaker had left some days ago. Those bruises should have faded away after the better part of two weeks…

They still looked… 'fresh'.

"On a good basis?" he repeated and traced the bruises, making Ciel shiver in a way that he wished they were doing other things. "He left you and gave you this."

Sebastian had contemplated leaving the man alone for departing without a fight but now he wasn't sure of it anymore.

No one touched his property and got away with it.

"Yes, he may have left," Ciel said at that moment, "and I'm mad at him, but I know that he won't return to control me or play around with me like you."

Those teeth were back, gnawing at the back of his head. Sebastian sighed inaudibly, letting his hands fall to his sides. Ciel immediately straightened out his top and tried to get on his feet, but the contract stopped him. Sebastian saw a muscle working in the boy's jaw. "Allow me to get up right _now_, demon."

"I rather like you this way." He demonstratively straightened to his full height and looked down at the boy.

Ciel's eyes spoke of painful deaths. How convenient that Sebastian couldn't die easily. "_Please_ allow me to get up."

Sebastian shrugged, secretly loving the way a 'please' from Ciel's lips sounded. "You have permission to stand."

Looking as if he might throw up soon, Ciel got on his feet. His eyes were slightly red. "It seems that you truly value something when it's gone. I certainly prefer the Undertaker over you."

At this, Sebastian almost winced, watching the boy turn his back to him. "Why? He strangled and left you."

The boy turned around, positively livid. "He didn't play this big, cruel joke on me just to come back and humiliate me further. He spent _decades_ with me." A short pause; Ciel seemed uncertain about the amount of truth in the next phrase. "He actually _cares_. And when I came to ask him to stay by my side, he didn't need to have me beg for it. He…" This time, Ciel fell completely silent, regarding the demon with curious, bloodshot eyes. He looked drained of his energy, but the spark of realization was clear and bright in his features.

Sebastian didn't move at all, waiting.

Pink lips that had been pulled downwards in anger a short moment ago now stretched into a smile, dazzling and a little bit too sweet for the words that followed. "Are you jealous, Sebastian?"

"Not at all," the demon said, disliking the direction that things were taking. The boy was supposed to submit at least a little (because Sebastian doubted that somebody with Ciel's amount of pride would completely yield after the first attack). Instead, Ciel was holding a collar to Sebastian's neck.

Again.

With languid steps, the boy came closer. There was something in the way he moved that left Sebastian strangely entranced with desire. "You are jealous. Of course you are, for you regard me as your 'property', don't you?" There were only few inches of air between them now. "He's been my… first" – the smile on his bloodless lips widened at Sebastian's involuntary growl – "in so many aspects. It's only natural for a possessive beast like you to be jealous of him. I gave him more than you will ever have from me."

Yes. Sebastian would certainly kill the man. Somehow, he would get that weasel between his claws and rip him into shreds. He seized Ciel by his tiny waist, pulling him against his body. Surprisingly, the other male didn't struggle but his body didn't accept the touch, either. Ciel kept his posture stiff.

"I will remind you one last time, demon: The only thing that belongs to you is my soul. Since you refuse to have it as soon as possible and rather play with me, there is nothing that you should be possessive of. The rest of me is unavailable."

"I'm sure it is attainable now that the Undertaker is gone," Sebastian muttered against the boy's neck, breathing in the scent of his skin, sensing the fluttering heart.

"Not for you." Ciel's voice held an icy tone while his body leaned back in the demon's touch as if trying to break free, nails digging into his biceps. "You destroyed the little trust I had in you. I knew I would never grow up because you were there and stopped fearing death since I knew how and when it would happen. Instead of killing me, you refused to let me fulfil my part of the contract. You left me vulnerable. You forced me to live for all those decades only to come back and laugh at me. I had to watch people dear to me die, you got the reapers to work against me by simply _being there_ and the Undertaker_ left me because of you_."

Sebastian wanted to tell him again that he hadn't even known Ciel was still alive, but the younger male already continued: "You ripped out the larger part of my soul, proceed to humiliate me further with that one-sided contract of yours and dare claim me as your property? You dare call the rest of me _attainable_? Do you think I will _ever_ be willing to give myself to you after all that you've done to me? What is this, some sick sort of revenge? Are you going to make me your slave and toy until you tire of me?"

That wasn't exactly the plan, but close enough. The demon noticed the slight tremble in Ciel's voice and closed his eyes for a moment before he lifted his head from the crook of the other one's neck. The boy's light frame fully leaned against Sebastian, his body sagging from exhaustion, prompting the demon to wrap his arms around the smaller body. Mismatched eyes looked up at him. "I don't want to die like this."

But who was Ciel to decide? Sebastian was the one in charge.

The demon carefully let the boy go. As Ciel tiredly reached for the staircase to support his weight, Sebastian watched in silence. Then he left the house, not once looking back.

He needed to think.

* * *

><p><em>So, at last a chapter with Sebastian's POV. Hehe, I kinda missed it.<em>

_But oh, the drama…_

_As always, don't forget to review and tell me what you think of the chapter. Your feedback encourages me to continue, after all =D_


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** Nope.

**A/N:** Okay, this week's chapter is rather light. Please enjoy! =D

Also, I left it in the romance/drama genre now. Even though I still think that this is not a very romantic fic, but okay, there will be some lurve, so I guess that makes it acceptable XD

Since I couldn't answer to your guys' reviews, I'm going to give you **a big thank** **you** here! I'm so happy! No, seriously, your reviews make my day and encourage me to continue, so thanks for the feedback (and favs and alerts) and letting me know that you like/what you like about this fic =D

**Chapter 7**

Ciel spent the first few days of the next week at home, lying on the couch in front of the TV or in bed while the surfaces in the house started collecting dust. When he'd gone to school on Monday, his English teacher – an old lady who rather favoured Ciel because of his intelligence - had suggested he should go home after he'd sat in her lessons 'looking like a ghost', for he was 'obviously unwell' and should rest at home instead of dozing during lessons.

Ciel had feigned uncertainty at her suggestion ("I really shouldn't miss more lessons") but had carved in at last, grabbed his school bag and went home. If presented with a chance of escape he certainly didn't want to waste more time on lessons he already knew by heart.

Even though Sebastian had said that he'd be his guardian, Ciel had yet to see him after he'd left last week, right after Ciel's outburst. In retrospect, he found it a little embarrassing. He hadn't meant to speak of his reluctance concerning his death. This wasn't a 'Pick your preferred kind of death'-situation, it was simply a very sick game he'd fallen into. Sebastian didn't care, anyway. He'd just gone away to lick his wounds, maybe try to catch/kill the Undertaker…

It was a good thing, though, that Sebastian had left and had yet to return. Ciel had time to think, to mentally prepare himself for the next stage, to take one step closer to the end. In future, he knew, there wouldn't be a lot of peaceful moments anymore, which was why he didn't really mind that the other one wasn't there. However, he _would_ if Sebastian's absence was going to end up with him in an orphanage or somewhere equally inconvenient. Words couldn't describe how angry he was with that creature, how much he wanted to punch him, to yell at him for their last encounter's events.

When the doorbell rang, he entertained the idea of not getting up at all. This thought was quickly destroyed when the potential visitor insistently rang the bell, sending annoying buzz after annoying buzz through the whole house.

Lizzie.

Shaking his head, Ciel got up from his position, trying to make himself presentable without having to look into a mirror as he slowly walked to the front door. He quickly took the eye patch from his trousers, put it on and made sure the fabric of his turtleneck hid the bruises on his neck. It was too big for him, but he sometimes secretly enjoyed lazing around wearing the Undertaker's tops (who thankfully had a real thing for turtlenecks), especially on 'sick days'. If he could, he'd even wear the man's trousers, but considering his height, he rather went with his own pants.

When he opened the door, he heard a scandalized gasp and Lizzie wrapped her arms around his waist, pulling him close to her slightly taller body. He absently noticed that she was developing breasts… No wonder the boys had started staring after her.

"Ciel, you look like a zombie."

"I'm feeling great," he said. "I'm even coming to school again tomorrow."

Lizzie beamed at him. "That's wonderful news. I'll pick you up, okay?" She motioned for her maid to come closer. "I watched our cook as he prepared this soup for you. Eat it, I made sure it has the right amount of love. You'll feel even better afterwards."

Ciel awkwardly accepted the small pot from the maid. Its contents were still warm. Lizzie must have departed with the soup right after it had left the stove. She hadn't even waited to fill it into another dishware. "That's very nice," he said, forcing a smile on his lips. "Thank you."

"And it's enough for two! How're your dad's ribs?"

Ciel winced. He hated lying to her. "They're getting better. And I told you that he's not my dad."

"But he plays the role of a dad, so to me he is your father." She smiled sweetly, then blinked. "Can I say hi?"

Quick, quick. He needed an excuse. "Lizzie, he still doesn't feel good. Caught the flu, too."

She gasped. "He _broke_ _his ribs_ and then caught the flu? That sounds very dangerous."

The maid standing next to her seemed shocked.

Ciel could have slapped himself. In the last weeks, he certainly thought of it a lot. "Yes, very dangerous. So he needs absolute peace. He's back in hospital," he added for good measure. "Visitors aren't allowed."

Lizzie bought it immediately, hugging him over the pot and cooing as if he were a baby while the maid certainly seemed dubious. Ciel waited until the embrace was over and then smiled at her. "It's okay, really. He's a tough guy."

"But you're all alone!" She looked past him into the house. "Just you and the burglar alarm."

"Yes," Ciel said slowly, weighing his words and awaiting her reaction, "just the two of us." At her worried gaze, he quickly added, "But it's a very good alarm system, and a cousin is coming over, so don't worry."

As if on cue (and maybe that bastard had really waited for it), Ciel saw a figure dressed in black approaching in his peripheral vision. Sebastian looked at him, then at Lizzie.

So, this was it.

Ciel felt as if he was vomiting up knives as he spoke. "There he is." He waved at Sebastian, forcing a bright smile on his face. The worry that poked at his insides told him that alls his mental preparation had been worth nothing. He didn't know where they were standing, what plan Sebastian had and how much worse things could get even though his thoughts had been racing through his head at night. "Sebby, good to see you."

The demon looked thrown at this sudden friendliness.

At least Ciel was rewarded a little bit.

Lizzie blushed when she caught sight of the demon. "Y-you really have a lot of cousins," she said, staring at Sebastian.

Ciel wanted to punch something.

Sebastian smiled as he reached them, wrapped an arm around Ciel's shoulder and pressed a kiss to his temple. "Good to see you too, cousin."

Ciel froze.

Lizzie, oblivious to the boy's reaction, made an adoring sound and extended her hand. "Nice to meet you. I'm Ciel's friend Elizabeth. Please call me Lizzie."

"I'm Sebastian. The pleasure is all mine." The demon kissed the back of her hand, making her blush a darker colour. "What a cute young lady you are."

She giggled happily ("Did you hear that, Polly? What a gentleman!") before saying goodbye and skipping back to the car.

Ciel waited patiently until they were out of sight before dropping the smile. "Kindly take your hand away."

Sebastian surprisingly obliged, letting him enter the house first. While the demon removed his shoes, Ciel rushed to the kitchen and placed the pot on the stove. He lifted the lid and hoped the dish tasted as nice as it smelled.

"Is that the Undertaker's?"

Sebastian entered the kitchen, looking at the turtleneck in dismay. Ciel rolled his eyes. "My, are we getting jealous of tops now? You take possessiveness to a new level, demon." Too late did he notice that his voice held a very hateful edge at which even Sebastian cocked an eyebrow.

The demon closed his eyes for a moment, giving Ciel the opportunity to have a good look. Now that the demon wasn't wearing his butler uniform, he'd proven that he had a sense of style. Even though he was only wearing black and grey, the colours were well-chosen, seeing that he preferred a casually elegant style.

Ciel shook his head, dismay at himself flourishing inside his chest. Secretly ogling the demon was a thing he'd done in the past. Now that he was no foolish child anymore and knew Sebastian's nature a little better, acknowledging his fashion style and looks was certainly a waste of time.

"We should talk," Sebastian finally said.

"As far as I know, we are already doing that," Ciel said, leaning against the kitchen counter.

The demon's eyes flashed red for a split second.

"Why are you here?" Ciel asked before he could say anything.

"I thought I should give you space, since you were displeased with me at our last meeting."

So now his feelings were considered? It was a first and had only taken the better part of over a century. "Displeased is a very nice way to put it," Ciel finally said.

Sebastian was quiet for another moment. "Do you still want me to be your guardian, Ciel?"

At the mention of his name, so foreign coming from the demon's mouth, Ciel crossed his arms in front of his chest and glared. "Will I be rid of you if I say no?"

A light snort. "Of course not."

Ciel pondered over this for a moment. "Then I might as well say no. Maybe that way, I'll at least be with someone who can keep me at a distance from you and your new hobby."

"I wanted to talk to you about this one." Sebastian took a step towards Ciel, making the boy narrow his eyes. "There will be no more orders issued from me if you say yes. Also, I will cease to lie at you."

"That's nice," Ciel said dryly. "But I am sure there is something you will want from me in return. Do you wish for me to warm you bed? Maybe crawl at your feet?"

"You are positively poisonous today," the demon remarked, his mouth turning into a soft snarl. "Yes, I have a request. However, I have to disappoint you: All I need you to do is stay close to me." With these words, he closed the distance between Ciel and him, but gladly stopped at an arm's length. Ciel couldn't help but think that the demon's jealousy towards the Undertaker and the urge to do it better than him – whatever 'it' was - were a great factor in his decisions.

"Will a positive response result in an alteration of the contract?"

Sebastian nodded. "There will be slight changes, but none of them should affect you... much. I will still hold my position as the master while you hold no power over the agreement at all, excluding your requests."

Ciel did not like being powerless, but he already guessed that nothing could be done since this was a one-sided contract. Nothing short of a completely new contract would give him the smallest tad of control over the whole situation and Sebastian surely wouldn't agree to this suggestion. If the demon would be forced to tell the truth again and wouldn't be able to issue these horribly humiliating orders, it was still better than having a deceiving liar at his heels who could simply order Ciel to do whatever he wanted. There ws only one more thing...

"Fine. You win." The boy ran a hand through his hair. "I have one more point to add, though. You mustn't force yourself on me. You are not allowed to touch me if I don't permit it." This was a wonderful idea. The demon would never be able to touch him, not in _years_, because Ciel would have a say in it and he wouldn't possibly want Sebastian to touch him, especially not in a sexual manner, past attractions aside.

The demon's mouth opened in protest right away before he closed it. "You can't force yourself on the willing," he finally said.

Irritation washed over Ciel in waves. "Are you implying that I desire you? Well, I don't. Either you add this part or you can forget the agreement." He knew that they both knew that this agreement was going to be Ciel's advantage over the demon. He just needed to accept it. "You know, I'm sure the Undertaker –"

"Fine, I shall add it. Don't mention him again in my presence."

Ciel nodded. "Agreed." He turned his back to the demon, feeling a strange sensation trickling down his spine. That was probably their new deal. "Now that this conversation is over, you may go. I do not wish to speak to you any longer."

"That is perfectly alright, Ciel."

As soon as the demon left the room, Ciel's irritation faded. He switched on the stove to reheat the soup from Lizzie's cook.

He only caught glimpses of Sebastian for the rest of the day.

**OOO**

That night, Ciel woke to soft but insistent knocking on his bedroom window.

Never mind the fact that it was four o'clock in the morning.

The boy grumpily turned around – there went his sleep; he just knew it – and saw long red hair on the other side of the window from where he was lying. He'd forgotten to close the curtains. "Grell?" Must be very bad news if the reaper visited in the middle of the night. Ciel forced himself out of the bed and walked over to the window to open it. "What exactly are you doing here?"

The reaper climbed in, taking in Ciel's room. As often the case, he was followed by his partner who gave a low whistle at the interior. "We're simply checking the progress."

"I'm still alive if that is what you mean," Ciel said, feeling irritation rising. "Are you quite done yet?"

"And where is Sebby?" Grell asked, ignoring the other's question. "He wasn't in his apartment when I wished to visit him, and he hasn't left a note, so I figured that you have got something to do with it."

"Maybe he just went back to his beach house in hell."

Ronald snickered, averting his head. "I'm sure it's cosy there."

Grell sent him a glare before he raised an eyebrow at Ciel. "Watch your tongue, kiddo. This is not the way you should behave towards a lady. Has the Undertaker never taught you anything?"

Ciel thought that the redhead should have seen it coming. Who would be nice to somebody who visited at four am and then asked him about his progress in dying and submitting to a creature he truly disliked? "The Undertaker certainly taught me a lot of things," he said as the reaper sat down on his bed and motioned for his partner to follow his example.

"Speaking of him: He told me to give his greetings," Grell said, "and that he misses you –"

"He said that?" Ciel asked sceptically. He left his place by the window to switch on the light.

"No, he didn't," Ronald said.

"But he definitely implied it." The redhead blinked at the sudden harsh light before continuing. "And he said he was sorry for strangling you."

Ciel rolled his eyes. "Apology accepted."

Next to Grell, Ronald cocked his head. "You're really pale, kid. Long night?"

The older reaper leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "You look like death." He paused as if contemplating his last words.

That was already the second time that he heard that. Ciel didn't feel any different, so he simply shrugged, blaming the light. "I'm always pale."

"Not that pale." Grell clicked his tongue. "Seriously, you better look in the mirror and see what we're talking about. You're as white as bones -… What about those bruises?"

Ciel shrank back, scowling. "Got into a fight."

"_You_?" The reaper snorted in a very unladylike way. "Looks like those kids certainly got you. I can do something against it, you know?"

The reaper would do anything to get some blood on his hands, wouldn't he? "I can handle my affairs alone, thank you very much," Ciel said in a clipped voice, narrowing his eyes.

He could have sworn that Ronald said something along the likes of 'Yeah, sure.'

"Whatever you want, kiddo," the redhead said and got up. The faint scent of blood washed over Ciel. By closer inspection he spotted tiny crimson splatters on the reaper's shirt. He'd been _sitting on his bed_ like that?

Grell stretched, oblivious to Ciel's worsening mood. "So, is the demon here?"

"In the second bedroom," Ciel answered darkly.

The reaper's face lit up. "I'm sure he's been waiting for me to find him!" He motioned to Ronald. "I'm going to pay him a visit. You wait here."

"That's surely not a good idea," the younger reaper said. "You said we'd only come here to see whether the demon is in the house."

"I did, but I've changed plans." Grell walked over to the door.

Ronald shot Ciel a glance, winced and then cleared his throat once or twice. "Mr Sutcliff, you are not going to wander around the house at this time. If you leave this room to look for the demon, I shall personally inform William of your actions. He didn't send us here just for fun. Trust me, I will make sure that your punishment consists of _weeks_ of overwork."

Ciel stared, dumbfounded at the sudden change in behaviour, as the reaper got up to grab his complaining partner by the red mass of hair and pulled him away from the door. When he passed the boy, Ronald smiled and winked at him, whispering something that sounded like 'William sure has good methods', but Ciel couldn't be certain about that one. Grell's voice was a tad too loud.

By the time the two of them got to the window, the redhead had his hands all over the younger one purring like some deranged cat. "I like it when you treat me like that."

Ronald recoiled slightly before he caught himself, sighed and tucked sharply at Grell's hair, earning a squawk from the other. "We're going." He beamed at Ciel again, switching back to his normal self. "Have a good night, kid. And get a tan."

Long after they had disappeared through his window, Ciel kept staring at the place they'd recently occupied.

Well, Ronald had certainly learned how to handle Grell.

He didn't know whether Sebastian had overheard their conversation or not. He decided that he didn't want to waste his time pondering over that, so he switched off the lights and crawled back under his covers. After a long time of tossing and turning, he finally fell asleep once more.

The sky was turning bright.

**OOO**

Sebastian opened his eyes shortly dawn. Swiftly getting out of bed, he took his clothes to the bathroom and got ready for the day. A look at the watch told him that he could visit the markets to do most of the grocery shopping. What he didn't get there he'd surely find in a supermarket.

When he passed Ciel's bedroom, he carefully opened the door. The boy was curled under light covers, nothing more than a bump on top of the bed. Sebastian closed the door before he made his way down to the kitchen. Next to the money that Ciel had mentioned the evening before was a note that surely hadn't been there yesterday. Sebastian curiously took it and scowled immediately.

'_Dearest demon,_

_One would think you'd ask yourself where the spare key is. I left it in your right shoe by the entrance, so now the house is all yours and Ciel's. The little lamb has been a little miserable since your return. Make him smile, alright?_

_I also left some more cash. In order to access the account I opened for you, have Ciel give you the information. Or just look in his drawers for the right papers. Whatever suits you better._

_Should you harm the boy in any way that has nothing to do with the contract you're supposed to conclude, then I'll kill you __personally__. You know I can. If you only contribute to his misery, we will have a very unpleasant encounter._

_Have a wonderful stay._

_Yours sincerely (or maybe not; depends, it really depends),_

_Undertaker_

_P.S.:__ If you know how to drive, you can use my car. I left it at its usual parking place.'_

There were idiotic smileys all over the unnecessary note. Sebastian didn't know what was wrong with that man that he wrote him a note, telling him what to do with Ciel. He had given up his claim on the boy. The demon crumpled the notes in his hand before thinking better of it and ripping it apart. He took the fat bundle of cash and went to the front door. He still had a lot of the money left that he stole from his last contractor, considering that he'd taken half of the amount on her account (a rather tricky business, but he was one hell of a robber), but who was he to deny some extra money when it was for Ciel? He could gladly ignore the fact that this cash was the Undertaker's as long as he remembered that Ciel needed it.

The spare key was in his right shoe, along with the key of the Undertaker's car, both hanging from a key ring with a silver skull accessory. With his scowl deepening, Sebastian pocketed them, put on his shoes and left the house.

As soon as he breathed in the London air, he wrinkled his nose. He still required a few moments to get used to the assault of different scents. Seeing the black car, he pointedly walked past it, heading straight for the next Underground station. He'd learned how to drive, ten years ago in Australia, but he didn't like it that the Undertaker was doing him such favours. He was probably watching both the demon and Ciel from one of the other buildings in this neighbourhood.

The grocery shopping didn't take him too long despite the fact that the market was terribly full. When he returned with supplies for the whole next week, the Phantomhive townhouse was still quiet. Sebastian secretly smiled to himself.

After having stocked the fridge and pantry, he prepared a cup of tea and brought it upstairs.

Ciel was still sleeping. The curtains were drawn in front of one window, letting in the daylight. Ciel seemed to prefer curtains over blinds. It was rather... endearing.

Sebastian caught the smell of dried blood in the air, remnants of a familiar perfume as well as of cologne and found a strand of red hair on the floor. So, Grell Sutcliff had been there. He'd almost been inclined to check yesterday night when raised voices had travelled to his ear, but he'd since it hadn't been Ciel's voice, he'd guessed the reapers were paying him a visit. No need to join the conversation.

Apparently, Grell had come with a partner, judging from the two different types of shoeprints on the floor. Those reapers didn't seem to know a thing about entering a room with clean shoes.

The demon sighed, setting down the tea cup on Ciel's nightstand before pulling aside the other curtains by the other window. Then he walked back to the bed and brushed his fingers over the bone-white skin of his arm that also was the only body part not wrapped in the blanket.

There was an electric, unpleasant jolt - similar to the feeling of coming in contact with fire - that went through his body and the demon hissed and the painful sensation, stepping away immediately.

He'd completely forgotten the altered contract.

Ciel, blissfully unaware, slowly pulled his arm under the blanket.

Sebastian waited until the sensation faded before he took away the boy's covers.

Groaning, the younger male slowly opened his eyes, a frown settling in his face as he searched for the missing covers. The bruises on his throat had faded a little bit. Now they were ugly reddish-green. The oversized shirt the boy was wearing caught Sebastian's attention. The hem of the simple black piece had ridden up the boy's hips, showing his boxer shorts and the hipbone that was peeking out. The demon marvelled at the naked flesh of the boy's exposed thighs, but he also noticed something disturbing: Now that the blankets were gone, that shirt smelled distinctively of the Undertaker.

Was the boy wearing that shirt on purpose? Sebastian forced a smile on his lips. If this got out of hand, he'd definitely burn the clothes that the Undertaker had left. "Good morning, Ciel."

The frown stubbornly remained. "_Why_ are you in my room?" Ciel tugged at the blankets in an attempt to cover himself again, but Sebastian would have none of it.

"Don't you have school today?"

Ciel blinked before he looked at his alarm clock. "Oh," he muttered and caught sight of the steaming tea cup. He stilled in the movement of dragging his legs over the edge of the bed.

Sebastian went over to the windowsill and picked up the little bag with a note on it. It was the window through which the reapers had left, judging again by the dirt beneath it. "Has the Undertaker visited you this night?"

"No," Ciel muttered. "Why?"

"He left you a foundation from a popular brand, a sponge for application and a note that says 'sorry about your swan neck'." To prove it, Sebastian placed the make-up and sponge on the mattress, keeping the note when he saw the scribbles on its other side: _'And no more experiments. This is not only getting serious but also out of hand.'_

Ciel huffed. "What is this nonsense?"

"It's to cover the bruises," Sebastian offered. "Scarves are not the best option when hiding strangulation marks."

"I know that," Ciel spat, grabbing the make-up as if he thought that Sebastian wasn't going to hand it over. He also took the note from him, regarding both sides. His eyes narrowed in thought when he read the postscript. "I guess I'll try it. Now get out."

Not very inclined to follow the boy's orders, Sebastian stood for a moment before remembering that there was a breakfast waiting to be prepared.

Ciel appeared the moment the pancakes were finished, standing in the doorway to the kitchen and staring. The first buttons of his shirt were open underneath the uniform's vest, and he was wearing a medical eye patch. "The make-up has been faultlessly applied" Sebastian remarked. "Have you done this before?"

Ciel glared at him before the pancakes demanded all of his attention. "Why did you do this? You are not my butler anymore."

"You need to be taken care of and that is exactly what I'm doing." Sebastian watched him sceptically put a pancake on his plate. "I have seen the stacks of sweets that you've been living off and concluded that you don't know how to cook."

Ciel sat down at the table, not very convinced, and tried a forkful of the dish. He chewed, swallowed, glared at the pancake and took another forkful. Sebastian couldn't help but smile.

Fifteen minutes later, there was obnoxious ringing of the doorbell. When Sebastian opened the door, Lady Middleford's replica was grinning at him like a child at Christmas. Behind her stood a black Porsche Cayenne. "Good morning, Sebastian! I'm here to pick up Ciel."

Sebastian smiled charmingly, causing her to blush. This was too easy.

"Morning, Lizzie," Ciel said, coming into view. He lazily put on his shoes and wrapped a dark blue scarf around his neck before he grabbed his school bag and something else, pushed past Sebastian without another word and gave Lizzie back the washed pot from the day before.

Lizzie accepted it with an amicable smile as he led the way to the car as if it was his, trotting behind him like an enamoured whelp.

"Did you like the soup?" Sebastian heard her ask.

"Yes," Ciel said, sounding pleasant until his voice held a dry undertone. "And I tasted the love. It was in the heart-shaped carrots, wasn't it?"

She laughed with joy as the they entered the car. Then the door closed and cut off her voice.

Sebastian waited for the vehicle to drive away before he closed the house door. Inside, he leaned against it and chuckled, knowing that when Ciel came back, anger was going to accompany him like the contract seal in his eye. But he certainly couldn't await it.

* * *

><p><em> I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Don't forget to tell me how you liked itwhat you liked/what could have been done better! =D_


	8. Chapter 8

**Warnings:** A naked Ciel and a half-naked Sebastian. That means a man touching a man/boy. Oh, yes, and pain. But not at the same time as Ciel without clothes. It would be a tad too early for that, don't you think? =)

**Disclaimer**: Still no.

**Chapter 8**

Lizzie managed to talk during the whole half-hour long ride to the secluded area that was the school's grounds. Ciel nodded when needed, said one or two words when he found it appropriate but left her to her one-sided conversation most of the time.

During the first lesson, while Elizabeth was exchanging letters with either him or her other friends, an itching sensation spread across Ciel's right eye. He tried to blink it away and was rewarded with peace for exactly ten minutes before it started again. This time, the sensation crept past his eye, turning from itching into a mildly painful discomfort sliding down his cheeks, past his collarbones to pool in his stomach.

Ciel pressed a fist between his ribs as soon as the pain bloomed, hoping to choke it somehow. He bit his lip, staring at the blackboard, and tried to will the discomfort away.

By the time it had reached his feet, the bell announced the break. He was surprised that he could still walk straight as he and Lizzie went to their next class. The girl shot him weird looks when his fingers started twitching against his books. They weren't writing a test today, so he couldn't blame the incontrollable little movements on nervousness.

His thoughts started revolving around a certain demon. Ciel drew Sebastian's portrait in his mind, marvelling at the way his eyes caught the light. Or at the way he gestured with his hands, elegant, long fingers that would definitely make the most vulgar actions look beautiful…

Ciel felt the sudden, irrational need to see him.

In front of him, the biology teacher droned on about drugs. Ciel hated how he only scratched the surface, how he rather chose to speak of an addiction without showing how it came to one. Oh, how Ciel despised being stuck in this young body.

Sebastian.

No matter how hard the boy tried to guide his thoughts into another direction, they forcefully retuned to the demon. By the time the useless lesson was over, Ciel's right eye was practically burning.

Talk about an addiction.

During maths, he had to solve a problem in front of the class. Only when he put down the piece of chalk, having found the right answer in less than a minute, did he see how chaotic his writing on the board was. When he returned to the table, he finally realized that his hands were shaking. His heart was beating too fast and his right eye sent unpleasant sensations down his spine in irregular intervals. His head hurt as if someone had hit him with a sledgehammer. The lesson dragged on and on, but for the first time, Ciel was too preoccupied to be bored. Not with his headache but with a much more important question: How could he get to Sebastian without wasting too much time?

The next moment he rolled his eyes at himself. This was ridiculous. He seriously needed to stop. With a small huff, he tried to concentrate on something else again, to no avail. Even if his thoughts weren't revolving around the demon, the headache would prevent him from thinking of other things, anyway.

Five minutes passed and he was positively going crazy with _want_ and _pain_. To make matters worse, he felt bile rising in his throat. With a very shaky hand, he called the teacher's attention, almost stumbling over his own words as he asked him whether he could go to the toilet. The man shot him a very strange look - it could be concern that he was showing but Ciel didn't really care – before he nodded. Ciel immediately got to his feet, knees very close to buckling beneath him, and left the room in a hurry. If he could have seen himself, he knew he'd have been disgusted at the total lack of dignity that he was showing.

He ran to the boys' toilets, always worrying about the quivering muscles in his legs. It seemed as if they would give up any moment.

Glad that there was nobody in sight, Ciel ran into the first stall, falling on his knees as soon as his stomach gave a lurch. He was violently sick, clutching the toilet seat as if it were his lifeline. When his stomach had released its contents, he dry-heaved a few more times, feeling utterly miserable. His stupid right eye hurt so much the pain was becoming obscene; he just wanted to rip it out and be done with-

… _Oh_.

Feeling another lurch of his stomach, Ciel waited it out, clenching his teeth. 'All I need you to do is stay close to me', Sebastian had said and had altered the contract. Due to his headache, it had taken Ciel _three hours_ to find the source of his discomfort.

Sebastian would _pay_ for this.

_After_ Ciel had been held by him.

Because he really needed the demon to touch him.

Cursing at his thoughts, the boy spat into the toilet before sitting down on the floor – he couldn't bring himself to care that it was dirty– and pulling at his hair. His hands were shaking so badly he couldn't even properly grip at the night-blue strands. Ciel hadn't thought of that when he'd accepted the alterations to the contract. This was restriction of the worst kind. His freedom had been robbed, taken because he hadn't guessed the demon would do such a thing.

"I should have seen it coming" he muttered to himself. He had forbidden Sebastian to touch him, to lie or issue orders. What he got was a severe restriction of his freedom, right after he'd lost his protection (the Undertaker) and acquaintances (the reapers), thus losing his overall control of the damn situation, as well as any possible option for security. This left him naked and vulnerable to the creature that would be his death.

… Well, fuck.

Sebastian had managed to turn the contract against him even though it had looked as if _he_ would have the advantages.

Ciel would have been angry if he weren't so preoccupied with _not_ trying to vomit again. Needles started working their way across Ciel's skin, piercing him everywhere. He carefully pushed himself to his feet and walked over to the sinks to rinse out his mouth and wash his hands. His vision turned black for a moment and he cursed the demon with all of the crude vocabulary he'd attained over the years. Normally, he wasn't one to curse but the demon enraged him and he just couldn't help himself.

When he looked into the mirror, he groaned at his reflection. He looked positively horrible. His visible eye was bloodshot, his skin had gained an ugly, greyish hue, his lips were chapped and his hair stuck out in every imaginable direction.

To think that he'd looked alright only three hours ago…

He flattened his hair and straightened out his uniform, wetting his lips with his tongue. When nobody was watching, he'd have to ask Lizzie for her lip balm. He couldn't do anything against the bloodshot eye or the worrying colour of his skin, so he took a deep breath and exited the toilet, fetching a stripe of chewing gum from his pocket. He couldn't care less about school policy right now.

Stumbling back to the classroom as if he were drunk, Ciel tried to calm down (and walk normally). He absently wondered how far the contract would go if he didn't see Sebastian immediately. When he entered the classroom, he gave the teacher a smile and received a shocked look. He almost wanted to say that he knew how terrible he looked but decided against it. As soon as he sat down, he received a letter from Lizzie, asking him if he was alright. 'Sure,' he wanted to write and quickly found out that the constant tremors of his hand distracted him from writing.

So he settled for nodding.

Everything was alright.

Ten minutes later he asked the teacher whether he could go home. The man must have been waiting to give him the permission; he seemed relieved as Ciel packed his things. The boy exited the room, closed the door behind him only to have his vision turn black for the second time that day. This time, he woke up on the floor, his hip and shoulder protesting. He honestly tried to be mad at Sebastian but could only think of how the demon's hands on his skin would bring an end to this.

The boy left the school grounds, barely catching the next bus. He refused to call Sebastian to pick him up, which probably made matters only worse, but his pride wouldn't allow him to listen to his body's needs, which right now, unfortunately, _were_ Sebastian. This was one of the moments in which he regretted his choice to form a contract with a demon. Ciel tiredly rested his head against the window, listening to his heart beating way too fast. It, he thought, was better off silent.

His whole body was shaking – _please, please, don't let this be_ anticipation – by the time he finally arrived at his house. The search for the key took embarrassingly long with those stupid hands not doing what he wanted them to.

Giving up, he rang the bell.

Sebastian opened the door, Ciel almost screamed in relief. He pushed the demon back into the house. The taller male barely had time to close the door before the boy was tugging at his pullover, trying to pull him down. Dignity, be gone, pride, shut up, Ciel _needed_ this. Pressing the length of his body against the demon barely helped; he needed more. "Touch me," he said, "you are allowed to touch me."

Sebastian didn't waste a second. He caught the boy's face in his hands and pressed his mouth against Ciel's. The way the simple action lessened his pain was wonderful and Ciel buried his fingers in Sebastian's hair, willingly opening his mouth to welcome the demon's tongue. There was still the sensation of being pierced with hundreds of needles as well as the unpleasant shivers that were running down his spine, so Ciel figured his clothes just had to come off in order for Sebastian to tend to his needs. He impatiently tore at his shirt and that was where the former butler stopped him. "You certainly are behaving odd."

"Don't act as if you don't know what's going on," Ciel hissed venomously while he was busy shedding his school uniform right there in the house's entry. "I hate you for this. I hate you so much." And he reached for the demon's wrists, pressing his hands against the cool fabric of his white shirt. "Now do something against this disgrace you brought upon me."

Sebastian opened the buttons one by one, unhurriedly, while Ciel's eye was bursting in its socket, while more needles joined the countless others in his skin. He tried not to think about it but he couldn't deny that this was such a degrading punishment for something he wasn't guilty of. That demon had tricked him several times and he still couldn't do anything against it. "I hope you're happy," he said as both his jacket and shirt were taken off. Sebastian chose not to answer, but when their lips touched again, Ciel could feel the demon's smirk against his mouth, taunting, mocking, _that's what you get for trying to play with demons, Ciel._

A particular painful sensation in his spine caused him to dig his nails into Sebastian's chest whose breath curiously hitched at that. Ciel broke the kiss to tug at the other one's pullover. Those clothes weren't any good at all. And with dismay he noticed that there was a white shirt underneath that pullover. It would take longer to have access to the skin hidden beneath those bothersome layers of fabric.

Sebastian caught Ciel's wrist, apparently worried about his clothes, before he picked him up and carried him up the stairs. Ciel enjoyed the feeling of the vanishing needles too much to complain about how he was handled. What had been a terrible headache only moments ago vanished into a dull pain.

He was sat down on the edge of his bed. Sebastian removed his own pullover and unbuttoned his shirt before he went down on one knee and opened Ciel's trousers. Every revealed inch of too-pale skin was kissed as Sebastian slid both the trousers and boxer shorts down his legs, which took away the pain in Ciel's limbs. Dizzy with relief, Ciel allowed the demon to push him back on the bed, allowed him to tower over him. Had he been in his right senses, he would never have let that happen. The sting in his eye turned into a soft throb when Sebastian kissed its lid. Ciel lazily let his fingers drift over the firm torso, secretly marvelling at the flawless skin. One hand travelled lower and lower yet, until it came to a growing bulge between Sebastian's legs. Giving a breathy chuckle – because somehow, this was funny, and he didn't like to admit that he was incredibly frustrated, so he laughed -, Ciel palmed the semi-erection through black pants, shivering when Sebastian groaned softly right next to his ear. Ciel had to admit this was one of the most erotic sounds he'd ever heard.

Turning his head to the side, he gave the demon access to his throat. His lips skimmed lightly over the skin, choosing to kiss along the length of his collarbone. Ciel's nipples were teased by warm fingers, and a moist tongue once thrust into his navel. With every caress from those roaming hands, with every kiss from that warm mouth, the pain subsided a little more. He regained his awareness piece by piece, only to have it turn into a rather intense focus on the feeling of Sebastian's hands. This was going into a wrong direction and, rather embarrassingly, Ciel found that he was hard and panting and wanting more.

He also considered kicking the demon in the face for turning the tables _again_, but for now, his body yearned for Sebastian's touch that Ciel couldn't possibly _not_ let the demon pleasure him. Besides, wasn't that what the demon wanted? To have the boy before he was killed?

Ciel's eyes widened at the thought.

This was what the demon _wanted_. Why not let him so that Ciel would finally get his peace?

The boy's thoughts were interrupted when Sebastian's tongue traced the line of his hipbones before nibbling at the skin of his inner thigh, chasing away the side-effects that the inconvenient contract had inflicted upon the former earl. Ciel tried to keep a straight face, biting his lower lip to stop himself from uttering a sound. However, he couldn't prevent the instinctive buck of his hips that showed the other male that there was a matter he had to take care of. Sebastian stilled in his ministrations, looking up at Ciel with a sinister glint in his eyes who challengingly cocked an eyebrow in return. Sebastian grinned –

- and sat up.

Ciel frowned. He'd actually thought the demon would jump at the first opportunity that he got.

Sebastian supported his weight with his arms, his lips looming over Ciel's. "Would you give your body to me?"

It had seemed like a good idea, he thought, but that was before Sebastian had caught on. He still nodded.

The demon almost playfully cocked his head to the side before grabbing Ciel's hips and pulling the small body towards him. Ciel suppressed a gasp as he felt the demon's clothed erection against his naked skin. "But would you also _want_ this?"

This time, even in the haze of lust, Ciel hesitated. His body wanted the pleasure, his head certainly did not. And Ciel rather listened to his head in general.

"I thought so," Sebastian said, not surprised at all. Then his hand closed around Ciel's arousal and his mouth descended onto his lips and then his mind was perfectly blank. It could come from that kiss; he was almost sure that Sebastian's salvia must be laced with some kind of aphrodisiac. He wouldn't be above such things.

"Whatever your plan is," Sebastian muttered against Ciel's lips, his hand moving at a steady pace that was _just right_, "you can forget it. You are trying to get to this contract's end quicker, aren't you?"

Ciel was too busy controlling his highly aroused body to respond. Sebastian kissed along his jaw, his hand on his member coaxing moans and mewls out of Ciel.

"It won't work." The demon smirked at him. Ciel, staring at those elegantly curved lips, faintly hoped that he'd get to feel that mouth on him and almost groaned at the mere thought. With a devious glint in the older male's eyes, their gazes met again. He leaned down a little, smiling in a decidedly wicked way. "I want you, Ciel. In every possible way. So I won't accept acting."

Ciel opened his mouth to respond but Sebastian chose that moment to take his hand away. Confused, he watched the demon lick the precome from his hand, sitting up and raising an eyebrow at Ciel.

Ciel blinked. Looked at the bulge in the demon's trousers and then at himself. "Aren't you going to continue?"

He did not just ask that.

"Why don't you beg for it?" Sebastian asked. "If you ask really nicely, I might use more than just my hand."

"I won't," Ciel said and clamped his legs shut, rather cutting off the whole ordeal right there. "Begging will probably mean that I admit to your ownership." His head was starting to clear and shame rose inside him even though he would have liked to reach an orgasm. It was maddening, and he couldn't avoid letting some of his frustration out. "I_ don't want you_."

"I understand," Sebastian said, grinning.

Ciel wanted to punch him. "You are going to change the contract right now."

The demon seemed as if he was going to laugh. "I'm sorry, but you can't just change it because you found an inconvenience."

Feeling sick to his stomach, Ciel scowled. "You have completely eradicated my freedom!"

"That's a bit harsh, isn't it?" Sebastian seemed completely unfazed. "The first symptoms occur after an hour of my absence."

"You're keeping me on a leash. I'm not a dog that you cannot let out of your sight and lock in your house whenever you feel like not taking it with you." Ciel twisted his body awkwardly, trying to grab his trousers lying on the floor while still hiding his most private parts from the demon's eyes. Much to his dismay, the clothes were nearer to Sebastian, and he childishly refused to get any closer.

The demon had mercy and tossed the clothes at him. "Don't forget that you also put restrictions on me."

"Yet you found a way to ignore one of them!" Ciel hastily put on his boxers, the shame of their actions fully settling. "And you left me with nothing." Nothing except for the demon himself, but that certainly didn't count. Ciel's fingers failed to close the button of his trousers. After the troublesome morning, he was more than just exhausted and still very aroused. A look at the watch told him that it was only lunchtime. Despite his exhaustion, his thoughts were racing. He hated the many contradictions that came up, some more disturbing than the others. All were connected to the demon which didn't make things better. The thing that irked him most was that Sebastian had planned on this. The fact that he'd been enjoying the demon's touches was probably worse than anything else. Had he still had his asthma, he might have gotten an attack right now from all the stress.

"Nothing, you say." Sebastian buttoned his owned shirt, watching the younger male with interest. "What does a contracted soul need other than its consumer?"

Ciel sometimes wished he'd never laid eyes on the demon. Pointing at the open bedroom door, he spoke through gritted teeth. "Get out."

Sebastian - amused, of course - got up in a fluid motion and left.

* * *

><p><em>Ah, well, Sebastian is a tease. XD The last scene was a little bitch, seeing that Ciel is more than just a little bit confused, not really willing and has been manipulated into this.<em>

_Anyway, please tell me how you liked this chapter! Until next week =D_


	9. Chapter 9

**Warning:** Temporary character death.

**Disclaimer**: As if, guys. As if.

**Chapter 9**

Suffice to say that Ciel didn't talk to him anymore.

Sebastian didn't mind too much for he knew the boy was in his room, doing whatever he was doing (probably sulking) because he was too reluctant to get out of the house. It was good to know that Ciel was aware of his boundaries.

The demon looked at the risotto he'd made for lunch. Ciel hadn't come down when he called, but Sebastian wouldn't bring a serving to the boy's bedroom door, either. He was the boy's owner, not his mother.

He left the cooling pot next to the stove and went upstairs to his bedroom. It was next to the one the Undertaker had occupied, and the former reaper's essence washed over into this room as if the man still lived in here. Sebastian who had wanted to put his clothes into his wardrobe halted in the middle of the process to angrily turn to the wall that separated the two rooms. His… negative feelings towards the Undertaker (no, he was still not jealous/envious/whatever else) were certainly taking on a ridiculous tendency.

Not that this realization stopped him from entering the reaper's bedroom.

It looked like a copy of the Undertaker's shop back in the Victorian era. Sebastian snorted softly at the display. There was a bed but judging from the lack of scent on the covers, the Undertaker had rarely slept in it.

The windows were wide open but the scent was still around. Well, it seemed like he'd have to spend some extra minutes in this room the next time he cleaned to fully get rid of that stink.

And then he would lock it. After he'd cleaned it out.

(No, he wasn't being ridiculous. It was his duty to erase the traces that the other male had left.)

The wardrobe was full of potential things for Ciel to wear. Sebastian contemplated burning them for the umpteenth time since he'd seen Ciel in them. He slightly cocked his head to the side, staring at the offensive pieces of fabric.

Longer than he'd admit.

Then he sighed.

He grabbed a few shirts and pullovers – all black – and went back to Ciel's room. Knowing that Ciel had been too engrossed in a curious kind of self-hate to actually lock the door, Sebastian simply knocked before opening it wide.

The fading scent of Ciel's arousal hit his nose as soon as he entered. Trying to maintain his control, Sebastian held his breath. He wasn't happy about the fact that he hadn't had the chance to pound Ciel into the mattress (unlike the Undertaker). He wouldn't have been willing.

At least the demon had tasted him. It was a beginning.

Ciel wasn't in his room. Sebastian put the clothes on the boy's desk and wondered how long exactly he'd been staring at them in the Undertaker's room. Calling the boy's name wouldn't help him any further; he knew Ciel wouldn't answer out of spite.

So he went downstairs again to see whether he'd taken a walk around the block. His house shoes weren't by the entrance, and none of the outdoor shoes were missing. The coat collection was still complete.

Outside it was raining.

The demon silently searched the whole house without finding the boy. The two bathrooms were the only rooms he hadn't checked. Since he was upstairs already, he knocked on the door of that bathroom, not really expecting a reply. It wasn't locked, either. Had Ciel been taking his time-consuming baths (and by now, Sebastian knew that he preferred an hour-long bath over a simple shower more often than not), he'd have locked the door.

When he stuck his head into the bathroom, his eyes were fixed on the bathtub before he looked at anything else, and as anticipated, but not quite as expected, Ciel was lying inside it, his body under water except for the tiny naked feet resting on the tub's other end and a hand that lazily hung over its edge.

Now, Sebastian wouldn't have had a problem with that had Ciel taken a normal bath, but, seeing that the boy was - presumably - dead, he did.

Remembering the postscript on the Undertaker's note from the other day, he rushed over to the almost overfilled tub – only with clear water; so the boy never had intended to take a proper bath – and took in the sight of a former noble who had drowned himself. Ciel was even wearing his uniform shirt and pants. Crossing his arms in front of his chest, the demon stared down at the boy with a frown marring his face. He started thinking that this was Ciel's… unique way of coping with _distressing_ situations.

Sebastian knew that he'd gone a step too far, even if they hadn't done anything major. It might have been his words or the refusal to alter the contract again that had brought the boy over the edge. Ciel had seemed pretty irritated with himself and maybe this wouldn't have happened if he hadn't forced the boy to come to him. On the other hand, it wasn't his fault that Ciel hadn't inquired what 'being close' included and what the consequences meant. He hadn't taken it serious when he'd gone to school that morning, otherwise he'd have asked Sebastian to accompany him.

But alas, the boy wouldn't see it from his point of view. Instead, he talked about a restriction of his freedom (and while Sebastian grudgingly admitted to this, it wasn't something he considered as grave; after all, Ciel was his _property_), betrayal and hate.

Betrayal and hate.

Lately, it always came down to those. And if it were any other human, Sebastian, being the demon that he was, would have basked in those burning feelings, that harsh, raging emotion, patting himself on the shoulder for another great accomplishment before devouring that person's soul. Even though his victims knew about the removal of their souls, most of the contracts ended on the bitter note of betrayal. Those unfortunate enough to live as his slaves usually had harboured a great deal of hate. Sebastian would usually make sure of that.

But with Ciel, there was the small feeling in the back of his head telling him that sowing those emotions into the boy wasn't right. He couldn't enjoy himself with Ciel's hate; the entertainment was way too short-lived for that for no clear reason.

The smile on his lips faltered. He uncrossed his arms and reached into the lukewarm water, carefully lifting Ciel out of the tub. Like that afternoon weeks ago, he took off the boy's soaked clothes and towelled him dry. It was a good thing that Ciel had forgotten to take back the allowance for the demon to touch him. Things would have been a bit difficult that way.

He carried the naked body to the bedroom and laid it on the bed. He fetched underwear and a pair of jogging trousers (grey, but the scythe and rose motif told him that those must have been a present) from the wardrobe before staring at the Undertaker's shirts and pullovers. Then he took one and dressed the boy in the clothes. He tucked him in, remembering his days as a butler. Fetching the desk chair, he set it down at the end of Ciel's bed and took a seat.

Inside the petite body he could sense the boy's soul. The contract would allow him to take it without further ado. He could just end it here. The body was ready to set the soul free, was softening its grip on the essence as if to say 'Take it; I really don't want it anymore.'

Sebastian had witnessed this the last time, to a less insistent extent, though, and he started wondering what exactly happened to people in Ciel's situation.

He didn't know what to do about the water in the boy's lungs, so he just left it in there. After all, Ciel would cough it up again when he came back to life.

He sat by the boy's side until two o'clock in the morning. Then he could observe the unnatural revival of that small body. He almost thought he could have sped up the process, or at least shortened the time between Ciel's death and revival, but since he didn't know how (how he hated that feeling), he'd just waited, staring at Ciel's corpse (which refused to go into rigor mortis, interestingly). The power of the contract washed around him as it forced the body to close around the soul like a caged animal. The boy's eyes opened wide and stared unfocused at the ceiling. His chest heaved as if he wanted to take a breath-

But instead, he bent over the edge of the bed and coughed up masses of water that splattered on the floor. When he finished, he moaned miserably before rolling back into the bed. Sebastian watched the whole scene quietly, waiting for the boy to seek him out. He'd noticed it was an instinct. Ciel looked for someone the moment he woke up, but this time, he just lay there and covered his eyes. He seemed to realize that this was one of the Undertaker's pullovers and quietly buried his nose in the crook of his covered elbow, inhaling the reaper's scent. Only then did his eyes open to search for someone in the room.

Sebastian allowed a smirk to form on his face. "Really, Ciel, the things you do…" He got up and brushed stray strands of hair out of Ciel's face. The boy who still looked like a corpse immediately became rigid.

"_Don't_ touch me."

His hand was on fire the moment the words were said. Sebastian quickly pulled it away, not liking this little thing about the arrangement _at_ _all_. "Why did you do it?"

There was a long stretch of silence in which Ciel simply breathed into the pullover and stared at him. Just when Sebastian thought he wouldn't receive any answer, he responded, "I needed to calm down."

"To calm down?" Sebastian repeated. "By killing yourself?"

The boy's eyebrows lowered. "It clears the mind. Most of the time."

And indeed, he seemed quite calm and collected. It just wasn't what Sebastian would have him do just to calm down. Firstly because even for a demon, this was rather grotesque; and secondly because the Undertaker had said something about this going 'out of hand', and Sebastian couldn't deny that he was getting the same feeling about it. However, he had to be careful with his conclusions; for all he knew, the boy might be lying to him. "I prefer you'd scream at me. If the Undertaker already warns you about your suicide trips, you should be very worried."

Ciel lowered his arm and gripped at the pullover. "This one belongs to him," he said.

"It does," Sebastian replied tersely, unhappy about the change in subject, "I decided to clean out the Undertaker's room, but you should have some of his clothes since you seem to like wearing them."

Ciel stared at him. Sebastian remembered their conversation in his apartment and knew that something just had to be wrong.

"I wish to rest," the boy said while rolling down the sleeves, transforming into a miniature of the silver-haired reaper. "Get out of my room. Wake me up at seven."

Sebastian didn't want to listen, but in the end, he guessed that Ciel needed some more time for himself. "Promise me one thing," he said as he went to the door.

This seemed to bring life back into the former earl. Sitting up, he glared at the demon. "I don't have to promise you any—"

Sebastian ignored him. "Find a sanctuary other than your dubious experiments. Take out your anger on me when it helps you clear your head. Just don't kill yourself again."

The boy gaped at him in surprise for a whole ten seconds. Then he gave a short, tired laugh. If he could see himself right now, Sebastian doubted he'd find this funny. "One note from a rival and you become all..." There, he fell silent. It was as if he let Sebastian's and his own words sink in for a second time. "You're worried."

The demon felt an ugly twitch in his insides. "I don't feel like taking responsibility for your antics, even if you are my pet. Also, I intend to gain something from you being mine, but I can't have you the way I would like to when you are nothing but a wasting body."

Again, an ugly twitch, disgusting even, as a reaction to his last words. He shoved it away, thinking nothing of it. "Good night." And he walked through the door, catching Ciel's "Bastard!" between the doorframe and the corridor.

**OOO**

Ciel endured the demon's gaze for almost ten minutes before snapping. "Why are you staring at me?"

Sebastian smiled, eyeing the boy for a few more moments before shaking his head. "I'm waiting for you to ask me." And because the boy was looking horrible. Horribly sick, that is. He was still very beautiful, even in Sebastian's eyes, but he looked like a _wasting_ beauty, and the demon didn't like the tone that rang with it.

"Ask you _what_ exactly?"

"You know."

The boy rolled his eyes and focused on his waffles. "I certainly won't ask you if _you_ already know."

Ah, there was faint déjà-vu. Sebastian smirked, waiting for the loud ringing. It seemed that Elizabeth had made it her priority to pick Ciel up now that his 'father' was 'ill'.

When it came, Sebastian went straight for the door, not wanting to endure the sound for too long. He heard the scratch of a chair sliding across the floor, followed suit by tiny footsteps. "Okay, I'll ask you. Would you please accompany me to school?"

Sebastian nodded before opening the door. He quickly stepped aside for this time, Elizabeth rushed into the house in order to leap at Ciel and wrap her arms around him in a bone-crushing hug. She certainly had more strength than necessary. "I hope you're feeling better today," she squealed into his ear, pressing her cheek into the side of his face and spreading her flowery scent all over the boy. Then her joyous expression dimmed. "You're really cold!"

This certainly caught Sebastian's attention.

"Am not," Ciel said automatically, then shook his head, still not returning the hug. "I've been taking a very cold shower today. An experiment in…. uh, endurance. Pain endurance."

Sebastian's lips curled into a smirk as Ciel gave him a You-keep-your-mouth-shut glare. But Lizzie bought it.

That girl really should learn a few things about scepticism.

"You had me worried for a second! You're gonna catch a cold in this weather, so don't try that too often." She closed her arms even tighter around Ciel's frail body. "I wanted to make our cook prepare another soup for you yesterday, but I had to go to my kickboxing lessons. You know how it is."

Kickboxing?

Sebastian supressed an undignified snort. The Middleford family traditions hadn't changed a lot. Their children still learned martial arts.

He'd just never thought of kickboxing.

Ciel awkwardly patted her back. "It's alright. Sebastian can also cook, you know."

"But I've been a bad friend," Elizabeth insisted after a short greeting to Sebastian after finally noticing his presence, not letting her friend go, "I'll come over after Aikido today."

"It'll be late," Ciel said, looking pained.

"Never too late for you!"

"Your father won't allow it."

Elizabeth looked at him with wide puppy eyes before realizing that Ciel had a point. Sebastian could see those tiny little wheels turning inside her head. "You're right. Ah, well, I'll think of something to tell him during school." This almost sounded like a threat. "We gotta go."

"Let go off _me_ first, then."

Giggling, she let her arms drop to her sides. "I'll wait in the car for you!" She cheerily waved at Sebastian who just smiled in response before she skipped (she did that a lot) back to the car.

Ciel sighed and put on his shoes. "Sometimes I don't know why I keep her as my friend."

"You could feel guilty," Sebastian offered, knowing very well that Ciel had been talking to himself.

"Shut up," the boy said with a glare. He shook his head. "I don't want her in my house today. Maybe I'll play the sick card."

"You certainly _still_ look like it."

The boy, sporting reddish-purple bags under the visible eye and lips that competed with his bone-white skin in colour, glared at him out of his bloodshot eye. Then he winced at something Sebastian didn't know about and turned to leave the house. "Stay close to me," he said reluctantly before joining Elizabeth.

Sebastian couldn't suppress the proud feeling in his chest that rose over another, rather upsetting one. His plan was working. Ciel had always been an unpredictable variable but despite the boy hating him, things were working in the demon's favour.

**OOO**

Something was definitely shifting and Sebastian couldn't help but admit that there was a great appeal in those constant changes that kept him interested. (Not that he would tell Ciel. It would only be counterproductive.) He followed the boy and Elizabeth to their classes, amused by the way Ciel would watch him from his peripheral vision during lessons, by the way his eyes would narrow in a scrutinizing manner. Something had changed in his favour and he knew it had to do with their conversation in the middle of the night. Ciel seemed to be thinking about it throughout the whole school day, eyes always focused on him as if he was searching for something that could help him find his answers.

Uncrossing his arms, the demon left his place by the window and strode across the class room, close enough for his insubstantial arm to brush against the teacher's skin. The woman was thrown off, her sudden silence alerted some of the pupils while others just continued not caring. Ciel didn't move when Sebastian came to a halt behind him, looming over the small body. The demon finally allowed a smirk to grace his lips, purposefully leaning in too close. Even though he couldn't touch the boy, Ciel stiffened as if Sebastian would, his eyes still very thoughtful and sharp. There was that fine opportunity that was offering itself to the demon. That way of thought that Ciel had, he'd exploit it.

He knew he could use it to his own benefit.

* * *

><p><em>Finally a whole chapter in Sebastian's POV. Ciel's POV is more frequent in this fic...<em>

_Sebby strikes yet again! Poor Ciel, I figure it's hard to stand up against a demon that isn't in one's control._

_Anyway, dears, give me some feedback! I always love to hear what you think of this fic! ^^ I don't bite =)_

**_And who knows... I've been thinking of posting another chapter this weekend, since chapter 10 is already edited. But only if there is enough feedback until then XD _**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer**: Kuro isn't mine.

**Warnings:** None.

**A/N:** The second chapter this week! So, if I had to give this chapter a colour, I'd go for a lighter grey. It's not as light as the very light chapter 7. But let me say that I like it when shit gets bad in a subtle way only to have it get real bad later. There you go. Enjoy! =D

**Chapter 10**

Ciel had managed to talk Lizzie out of visiting after her Aikido lessons on Friday, but in exchange he had to agree to a… friendly date with her at the weekend.

So, as not-_quite_-expected-but-still-_expected_, she rang the doorbell at eleven a.m., demanding that they have their date now.

Ciel, who had slept longer than usual and necessary (almost half a day), just stared at her, still a little bit drowsy from sleep, while he noticed Sebastian tilting his head to the side at the word 'date'. The boy had just came from the shower, dressed in a designer shirt and loose-fitting pants, when she – rather rudely, he thought in retrospect - had glomped him right there and then, in front of the bathroom, with him half out the room.

"You've got to change your clothes, Ciel," she said as soon as she finished telling him her plan (café, cinema, shopping, because she needed 'some stuff'; the nearest park, depending on where they ended up; also, take it into consideration - _Ciel_, listen - an early dinner, maybe?), "I can't compliment you with my clothes if yours don't fit."

Ciel, having lost the thread a while ago – it had always been hard listening to her high-pitched chatter -, continued staring, trying to look as if he'd understood everything, and said, "Sure." At the back of his head, he didn't wonder for the first time whether this was how Ronald must feel when Grell started abusing his ears. Or William, for that matter… But no, that one cut the redhead off before too much could be said.

"Good," Lizzie said and pushed him into his room. Sebastian didn't even move a finger to help him, yet again, Ciel didn't really wish for the demon to do it. Ciel might owe him afterwards.

The girl started going through his wardrobe, choosing an outfit for him. Seeing the clothes unfolded and put on his desk, bed, chair, Ciel hoped that Sebastian would put them back where they belonged before he followed him and Lizzie. The demon was going to follow, of _course_, seeing that Ciel couldn't last two hours without craving the demon like a drug.

His friend finally shoved a casual set into his hands before leaving the room. While he changed into those clothes without further ado – he really (curiously) was too tired to protest -, he briefly wondered whether she was peeping through the keyhole. He shook his head and pulled up his trousers. It was a good thing that Lizzie hadn't looked too closely: The bruises around his neck were still there. Green-yellowish by now, but there. Bruises shouldn't take that long to disappear, should they? It had been three weeks now…

He left his room, not realizing that he was frowning again until Lizzie told him to put on a happy face. Ciel merely stopped frowning.

Sebastian wished them a nice day and closed the door behind their backs. Ciel dearly hoped that the demon wouldn't have another sadistic moment and just not follow.

They went to Lizzie's favourite café, having pies for lunch. Ciel couldn't complain about that one and ordered a slice of cheese cake while Lizzie giggled at his sweet tooth. They sat in comfortable silence. While the girl was looking out the window with a content smile on her face, Ciel wished that his relationship with her ancestor could have been as easy as it was with her (even if it didn't make her less troublesome): They were just friends, as far as – thankfully - both were concerned, and it should stay like that.

She was eyeing him strangely from time to time. Ciel wondered whether it was because of his appearance (he looked as if he'd just caught a deadly disease) or because she was happy that they finally went out together. She'd tried getting him out of the house for quite some time now. Somehow, Ciel appreciated her persistence and endurance.

"Hiya, you little ghost!" a voice said from behind Ciel. The boy flinched and spun around, looking into Ronald's grinning face. The reaper wasn't dressed in his usual suit, which surprised Ciel. Instead he was wearing a green shirt under a black coat along with a pair of denims. It was rather strange seeing him in his free time attire.

"Cousin," the boy said lamely, remembering that he'd referred to the reaper as such in front of Lizzie.

"So, you two are on a date?" Ronald asked.

"A friendly date," Lizzie piped up, adding an extra-emphasis on 'friendly'.

"That's nice, kids," the reaper said, taking a sip from his beverage.

"What are you doing here?" Ciel asked slowly, searching for Grell. He wasn't there.

"We have a free day today." Ronald smiled. "Because there are very little… _entries_ in our _books_ today, nothing that the new ones can't fix. Will offered us a break. And you just don't say no when he does such things. Happens once in five decad—_years_, I mean." Before Ciel could say anything, he pinched the boy's cheek with his gloved fingers. "I recall telling you something about getting a tan, kid."

Ciel pushed the other's hand away, scowling. "I feel very fine, thank you."

Ronald shrugged, went over to kiss the air next to Lizzie's cheeks (which had her blushing furiously), ruffled Ciel's hair and headed for the door. "Maybe we'll see each other again today."

"I hope not," Ciel murmured under his breath, flattening his hair.

Lizzie, too paralyzed by Ronald's sudden attack to react, sat very straight and very still in her chair. Pushing the empty plate aside, Ciel went to pay for their food and drinks. He got Lizzie's coat and helped her in as soon as she snapped out of her trance. "Are all of your cousins like that?" she asked.

"Why?" Ciel shot back, a teasing smile on his lips. "Are you intending to marry into my family?"

Her cheeks flushed a dark shade of red as she sputtered. "Not at all!"

He gave a short laugh, feeling her warm fingers wrap around his own. She clicked her tongue. "Low blood pressure?" she asked. "Your hands are ice cold. And you know, my mother has that too, cold hands, I mean. She says it comes from her low blood pressure."

"That's what I have," Ciel said automatically, even though he knew that his blood pressure had been in an optimum range the last time he'd went to a check-up.

Lizzie droned on about what to do with that 'little problem', as both daughter and mother called it while she and Ciel walked to the cinema. Ciel barely listened, but it seemed that it kept Lizzie happy, having a reason for the coldness of his hands.

At the cinema, she wanted to watch a romance movie.

Seeing that there was nothing else that caught his attention, Ciel didn't even put up a fight as she bought tickets and beverages and lead the way. Once they had found their seats – "Just in time," Lizzie said and Ciel tried his hardest not to groan – the girl began telling him the plot of the movie, clapping her hands when the advert started as if it were something very special.

A man in a dress shirt sat down in the seat next to Ciel, pushing his glasses up his nose. The boy made a double-take, realizing who exactly it was. "Mr Spears."

The reaper blinked before he slowly turned his head to the side, facing Ciel. He looked faintly uncomfortable. "Ciel."

"What? Ciel?" an annoying voice behind the reaper said. Grell leaned forward, Ciel leaned forward (just a tad), and while the former automatically started searching for 'Sebby' in the auditorium upon recognizing the boy, Ciel noticed that the guy was wearing a dress that would have been more appropriate for summer.

"Isn't that your other cousin?" Lizzie asked. "Why is he wearing a dress?"

"He's embracing his feminine side," Ciel said.

"Are those two going out?" She lowered her voice, sounding girlishly excited, and pointed to the manicured hand curled around William's. "As in, are they a couple?"

"They've been together for longer than I can remember." Ciel smiled, knowing what would follow.

At this, William's head whipped back to him. It seemed as if a response was ready to be shot at him, but Grell gave his boss a bear hug from the other side, squealing something about how they could finally go public with their relationship.

"I don't know where you get those fantasies about us being together from, Mr Sutcliff," William said as the actual movie started.

Somebody told them to shut up.

William gave him a glare that could freeze an entire ocean. Somehow, this glare was not as effective with Grell cuddling his back. The man was successfully frightened anyway and left them to it.

"You know," Grell said as he freed his boss only to lean over him, "we received a note again."

Ciel didn't answer to that, feeling a weird twitch somewhere inside his body.

**OOO**

After a lot of tears caused by the movie which were now drying on his sleeves along with some mascara, Ciel found an outlet for his frustrations in spending Sebastian's or the Undertaker's money on a new set of clothes and sweets and a pair of shoes.

Lizzie was buying one frilly, pink/blue/yellow/orange thing after the other, sometimes it glittered; sometimes it didn't even look wearable, and most of the time it looked as if it just came from Barbie-Land. While he was already finished, she was still looking around in the same shop he'd left her at a while ago, asking him whether those clothes made her look cute.

He found she just looked like a mountain of ruffles, but that might just be the trick.

Ciel, knowing why he shouldn't go shopping with females now, sought his escape when a friend of Lizzie's found them in a shop. Knowing that he didn't come around returning home with her, he said he'd take a quick walk through the mall and left the shop. He thought he saw the reapers again, actually stopping and turning to catch a glimpse – just to make sure -, but it wasn't them. Just another obnoxiously loud redhead hanging off the arm of a tall man with a blonde in tow.

He turned back to resume his little promenade through the mall, not looking up and thus walking into somebody else smelling distinctively of myrrh. Surprised, he jumped back, opening his mouth to apologize. His eyes locked with a pair of yellow-green ones, one of which was decorated by a scar.

His breath caught in his lungs.

The Undertaker looked a little bit surprised. As he took in Ciel's appearance, his mouth got stuck in a half-smile before it left his lips completely. He gently took the boy by the wrist and went to the next best shop (which looked rather expensive) before letting go. Ciel just followed, feeling a little overwhelmed with the sudden amount of emotions that was coursing through his veins, one of them being anger, the other relief. Again, those two didn't fit which had him wondering how the appearance of a demon could change him from a collected old man to somebody who could only be confused at his emotions.

The Undertaker picked a shirt in Ciel's size and urged him to the changing rooms. A woman was leaving at the moment, and the Undertaker pushed Ciel into the cubicle at the end, following him inside. "Couldn't think of anything else that quickly," he said, sounding almost apologetic.

Ciel stared at him for a moment, listened to his voice, the light cackle before he spoke, took a deep breath and slapped the man across the face.

Cheek reddening, the Undertaker looked stunned for a moment. When Ciel slapped him on the other cheek, he giggled.

"I guess I deserved those," he said with a smile. Then he leaned forward. "Why not another one?"

"You like them, don't you," Ciel muttered, annoyed by the other male. It wasn't even possible to punish him; he'd just love it. Ciel didn't hit him again. "I'm not up to fooling around." He turned to leave the cubicle.

The Undertaker's arm wrapped around his middle, pulling him back. Ciel's back connected with the mirror; the Undertaker was now effectively blocking his exit. Cocking his head to the side, the reaper regarded him. "You look horrible."

Ciel's eyes narrowed.

The reaper mimicked the expression. "Are your lips _blue_?"

"I'm just cold," the boy said defensively.

The Undertaker reached out to pull at Ciel's scarf; the accessory fell to the floor without either of them giving it a second thought. Even though Ciel knew that the Undertaker's hands were always a little cool, the reaper's fingers were hot against his skin this time.

"Why do you take my advice – things that I'm actually serious about – as jokes?" the Undertaker asked, his voice swimming giddily in the air, matching the wide smile on his face that couldn't reach his eyes.

Ciel pressed his back against the mirror, refusing to look at himself. "You know what's happening."

"Not really," the Undertaker said, his smile belying his words , his eyes belying his smile and his tone belying his eyes. "I just know that you shouldn't do this anymore."

"That is insufficient," Ciel said, finally feeling this little tweak in his insides that – even in his opinion – was coming very late. "Give me a proper reason. You've always encouraged my experiments."

"I shouldn't have let you kill yourself that often," the Undertaker said. "No matter how fascinating it was."

"A reason."

He shook his head. The refusal made Ciel slightly nervous.

"How come the demon hasn't stopped you this time?"

"He didn't know."

Taking a step towards Ciel, the Undertaker curled one hand around the boy's throat where the bruises were still fading. "You were distressed."

Ciel didn't answer, wondering when he'd regain a normal body temperature.

"What did he do to you?"

Ciel contemplated telling the Undertaker about the trick that the demon had played on him but realized that… "He did nothing I couldn't have prevented."

If he hadn't been so irritated by the demon, he could have asked him about his definition of 'close' and what distance would result in. He could have told Sebastian to follow him to school like he'd done the day after the disaster.

He also could have told Sebastian to stop touching him as soon as the side-effects had vanished-

"And you didn't because you enjoyed it" the Undertaker said.

"I certainly did not enjoy it," Ciel muttered. "Because of him, I fainted at school, vomited and went home early for the umpteenth time."

Silver eyebrows drew together, contributing to the Undertaker's confused expression. "What."

"He altered the contract. He wasn't supposed to touch me but he managed to get his hands on me by making me feel incredibly sick and yearning his touch like an addict." With a short exhale, he watched the Undertaker process his words. "So, how about killing him now?"

The smile came back to the older male's face, even if it wasn't as wide as before. "I'd love to. But you'd hate me for it."

"This again?" Ciel asked. "I'll hate you if you don't do it."

"I strangled and left you and you still don't hate me," the Undertaker said. "You'll forgive me again."

Ciel felt the tension leaving his body at a slow pace despite the fact that his wishes were being denied. "I am _going_ to hate you. And I'm mad at you already."

"I deserve it," the Undertaker said again, his hot breath ghosting over the boy's temple. He planted a short kiss on the boy's mouth before straightening. "You know, every time I see you alive could be the last."

Ciel huffed. "Don't get sentimental with me."

The Undertaker giggled. "I won't." Starting to hum a song under his breath – it sounded terribly similar to something from Madonna or Lady Gaga or some other blond (or not-blond-anymore) woman -, he grabbed the shirt that he'd taken with him. It was of a vibrant blue. "And Ciel? Whatever you two did, you still enjoyed it. I've known you for ages, you cannot fool me."

"I'm going to slap you again."

And finally, a real, wide grin came that was present in his eyes, too. "Please do." He looked absolutely ridiculous with red marks on his face and asking for more. Ciel felt the rest of his tension disappear.

"Okay, so maybe I enjoyed it a little," – right until the demon had stopped, but that wasn't the point - "but what he did was still wrong. I would never have allowed him to do anything to me, yet he forced himself upon me. He's possessive and sadistic and plays around with me."

"Yet you still don't want me to kill him," the Undertaker said as if Ciel had never demanded it. Before the boy could open his mouth, he went on, "I don't know whether you've noticed this, but how come that a possessive demon doesn't take his plaything away when it's with his rival? When I left, I basically told the demon that you are free to have and that I wouldn't try to claim you, yet, considering our past relationship, I have been the closest person to you and therefore left my mark on you. He tries to get if off by having me out of your life." He smiled when Ciel frowned. "Now, do you see him anywhere around? I know he's been following you, probably because of that new arrangement. He must have seen me walk away with you. Maybe he's waiting in front of the changing rooms, maybe he isn't."

Ciel couldn't say that he understood. It was his business with whom he went away, Sebastian simply always thought that it should be _his_ business, too. At that thought the boy's eyes widened.

"The thing is," the Undertaker continued, "that he isn't _here_, trying to pull you away. That the two of us aren't fighting right now. He lets you talk to me despite seeing me as an enemy. I see a willingness to change in that, don't you?"

So that was it. Ciel almost huffed in exasperation. Sebastian was probably thinking that he was doing him a great favour, that idiot. He wasn't going to change; he simply wanted to get on Ciel's good side.

… Yet again, it was still a favour.

(Something inside him told him that the Undertaker - the only one who could look through him as if he were made of glass - had another message in his words, but unfortunately, this time he didn't understand what was being implied.)

"Think about it," the reaper said as if having read his thoughts, before he seemed to remember something. He rummaged around in his pocket. "I found something that you might like. Thought I'd have to sneak it into your room again, but now that you're here…"

"I hope it's not make-up," Ciel said dryly, his thoughts still revolving around Sebastian.

The Undertaker snorted. "It's not." He took out a little square box, opened it and showed Ciel a sapphire ring.

It wasn't the very same one he'd been wearing back then (at least he thought so), but it immediately reminded him of the old days in Victorian London. His breath got stuck in his lungs as memories of his parents, of Soma and Agni and his incompetent staff returned with full force. He'd always avoided thinking of them, not able to acknowledge his loss.

The Undertaker was silent for a minute before he cackled weirdly. "Will you marry me?"

Ciel couldn't suppress a laugh this time. Slapping at the man who stepped back in a fit of giggles, he pressed a hand to hide his own mouth. "Proposing to me in a changing room? You're useless."

"I was always of the opinion that changing rooms are incredibly romantic." The Undertaker recovered from his fit long enough to take his hand and slide the ring on his thumb. "You can still make it smaller; I just thought you'd prefer it this way."

Ciel nodded. Realizing how long they have stayed in the small room, he withdrew his hand, feeling a familiar weight around his thumb. "We should get out of here."

His movement was restricted by two thin yet surprisingly strong arms as the Undertaker wrapped them around his body. Ciel stared at the offending limbs before raising his gaze to the Undertaker's face. "_Why_ are you hugging me?"

"Call it provocation," the mortician said, cuddling him as if he were a stuffed bear.

"You're spreading your scent all over me, aren't you?"

The staccato in the Undertaker's chest replaced the answer.

**OOO**

After he and the Undertaker had left the shop with one shirt, they went different ways. Ciel was stuck with Lizzie for another three hours full of annoying, increasingly girlish chatter and clothes and an early dinner.

Worried about his sanity, he hoped they wouldn't have another friendly date soon.

Sebastian must have left during their dinner, for when Ciel came home the unpleasant tingling in his eye had started. The sound of the hoover was heard from upstairs as he entered, and the scent of chocolate filled his nose. Briefly wondering whether scepticism was appropriate, Ciel took off his shoes and went upstairs to change into more comfortable clothing. While he stepped out of his pants, he heard the faint thud of the demon's footsteps as he went downstairs. Putting on loose-fitting pants he exited the room after a short moment of contemplation, thinking 'Why the hell not' and went to the demon's room. Rummaging in his wardrobe, he found a navy blue pullover which he put on. He was used to the Undertaker's scent of myrrh, so that dark, almost dangerous… _thing_ in the demon's scent that sent shivers down his spine was very new and unsettling.

Afraid of the consequences that would come from delaying contact with the demon now that the side-effects had kicked in, Ciel went to the kitchen only to be greeted by a small chocolate cake. In the living-room, the sounds of a talk show could be heard, but not for a long time as Sebastian switched channels. Ciel, feeling the urge to be close to the demon (damn that altered contract), put a slice of cake on a plate and went to sit with him. But sitting at the other end of the couch wasn't satisfactory enough.

Feeling Sebastian watching him, Ciel grudgingly shifted closer. The smaller the distance was between them the greater was the urge to come even closer. He shifted a little more before he rolled his eyes, stood up and sat down with his left side pressed against Sebastian's right.

There. Better.

"You are allowed to touch me in a non-sexual manner," Ciel said, feeling – but not acknowledging – relief wash over him as the demon simply put his arm around his shoulder. "I was right not to trust you," he muttered, seeing, realizing and knowing that this was some kind of new level that the game had risen up to.

"This again," Sebastian said.

Ciel cut a small piece from the cake.

This again.

Sebastian was a demon. Even if he couldn't lie anymore, it didn't mean that he couldn't betray and stomp down a person's trust. It didn't mean that Ciel was safe just because he had restricted him a little. It didn't mean that he couldn't have his fun.

It was impossible to appeal to a demon's conscience. That was the reason he'd made another deal with him. A demon didn't love or feel bad for someone; Ciel doubted they even knew what betrayal felt like. They would probably only get angry at having their plans crossed or at having lost an accomplice.

"Yes," he said, "this again. But I'll let it slide since someone like you has never trusted and therefore will never understand what betrayal feels like."

Sebastian switched to the news channel. "I _trust_," he said, "that our deal will have positive results."

Ciel huffed. "That's not the same thing."

"You're awfully cold," Sebastian said and pulled the boy on his lap.

Ciel's mind went curiously blank. "Are you feeling me up?"

Skilled fingers started massaging his shoulders. Ciel forgot about the plate in his hand. "Opportunities need to be seized… You're quite tense."

"You can't blame me for being on guard in your presence."

A quiet exhale, but Ciel still heard it.

He sometimes wondered whether it was himself whom he felt betrayed by. Even as a child, he'd known that as a demon, getting too comfortable with Sebastian would be more harmful than beneficial. He'd trusted himself to act according to this fact.

And he hadn't done it.

He leaned into the demon's hands - his death's hands - and wondered about this thing constricting his chest.

* * *

><p><em>So, chapter 10. And the Undertaker appeared! I always enjoy writing him (it's a guilty pleasure to do that in a SebastianCiel fic, but whatever XDD)_

_Anyway, I'll see you in chapter 11 =D_

_Two more things:_

_**1: We can start a countdown! Four more chapters to go and 'Lay Me to Rest' will come to an end!** _

_**2: Due to the countdown and the fact that the last chapter's being written at the very moment, I can update twice weekly. I'll post the last four chapters on Wednesdays and Saturdays =D That is if I get feedback, dears. Every author likes to see it and know what the readers think =P**_


	11. Chapter 11

**Warnings:** Man on man, a Sexual Situation, shota which isn't really shota and yet again is; yaoi. It's not porn, but it's still semi-explicit sex (I'd say it's a very hard M), _so be warned_. Also, a lot of bickering. (Ciel being difficult.) Teeth (?). Emotions (how fortunate that we have a Sebastian POV for this chapter). Yeah.

Also, prepare for a blow to the gut (I'd like to think of it as such =P)

**A/N:** Omg, we're at over 100 reviews! Thank you, thankyouthankyou! XD Coincidentally, this chapter contains smut. I actually never planned for real smut, but firstly, it just happened, and secondly, it Helps The Plot. Weird, I know. I also know that this may seem very sudden.

Or maybe not so sudden, depending on how you interpreted the last chapters.

I wouldn't change it, anyway.

Enjoy! =D

**Chapter 11**

One or two weeks later, Ciel started freezing.

It wasn't a normal kind of freezing, Sebastian noticed quickly. While the last days of November had arrived, Ciel wasn't feeling cold because of the snow or the cold winds or the icy mornings. How could he, being in the house whenever it was possible?

Being the ever observant demon that he was, he quickly noticed how Ciel suddenly started wearing layers of his own pullovers, then a long-sleeved shirt from the Undertaker and then one of Sebastian's pullovers. How he was burying the lower half of his face in the fabric of a black turtleneck whenever he wore one. How he always got up to see whether the heaters were working, because, according to him, they weren't.

Sebastian, having almost no sense for temperature, couldn't comment on that.

But Elizabeth could.

That aggravating blond girl came over for an unannounced visit and promptly complained about the heat in the house. At least she was good for something.

Ciel, sitting on the sofa in the living-room, looking lost in two wide pullovers, a big scarf and hidden in a blanket, merely shivered and stared at her incredulously.

Elizabeth stayed for a few hours, bringing him his homework and worrying over him. ("At least you aren't that cold anymore," she said, completely missing the fact that he was a different kind of cold by now.) A lot of hugs were given, none of which came from Ciel but the girl didn't seem to mind at all. When she left, Sebastian sat down on the other end of the couch, observing the boy. "Well, this is certainly an interesting occurrence."

"Shut up."

The demon smiled, got up, lifted the small body out of the blanket and flopped down on the sofa with Ciel sitting sideways on his lap. The boy immediately started struggling, but never forbade the touch. In the last days, Sebastian had been doing this quite regularly. And Ciel always only struggled for appearances. Sebastian wasn't fooled. He knew that Ciel usually didn't mind his touch at all. Content with the lack of real self-defence, the demon pulled the boy closer yet, relishing their mingled scents and the small beating heart in the boy's chest. (This was his.) To him, it was a phenomenon. Abnormal. _Still_ abnormal, for he couldn't say that he was getting used to it. To the boy moving and breathing and _living._

"I'm imagining the cold, am I not?"

"You are," Sebastian said. Ciel let him tilt his chin upwards and didn't protest when the demon pulled down his scarf to look at the bruises. Almost gone. At last. When another shiver crawled down Ciel's body, Sebastian couldn't tell whether it was because of him or because of the phantom cold.

"This could have to do with the contract," he said.

"Of course it does," Ciel snapped irritably and sounded as if he'd like to leave now. His body was of another opinion, leaning against Sebastian's, a source of warmth. "Everything has to do with this messed-up contract."

"Now," Sebastian said tartly, "please don't insult my contract. It has worked perfectly until now."

Ciel glared at him. "Are you telling me that this is my fault?"

Sebastian leaned forward so that his lips were almost touching Ciel's ear. "Yes," he said. "Basically, I am."

With a scoff, the boy wrenched his arms out of Sebastian's grip – both knew the demon let it happen – and slid off his lap. Ciel grabbed his blanket, looking very much like a little boy at that moment, and went for the stairs. Sebastian was in front of him before he could reach the door that lead out of the living-room, blocking the way in less than a second. Ciel tried to shove past him, but the demon wouldn't budge. His hands connected sharply with Sebastian's chest as he tried for another push. "Let me pass; I'm not having that kind of conversation with you."

"You know," the demon said, leaning against the doorframe, "it's rather funny how we both are blaming each other. But while you do not have any correct recollection of that night, my accusation seems more reliable."

"Reliable!" Ciel echoed with disdain. "Don't make me laugh. You weren't even _reliable_ enough to take all of my soul –"

"And whose fault is that?"

"Well, yours!" Ciel shot back immediately. He was visibly seething and Sebastian wondered why this affected him so much. Yes, someone had done a miserable job and Sebastian didn't actually have the clearest recollection of that night, but even though it irked him, he didn't feel so strongly about it. In the end, the boy's survival was a convenient surprise.

He might have to thank the Undertaker for patching that minuscule shred of a soul together. Ciel would have stayed dead if it hadn't been tended to. It would just have… dissolved.

"You can hardly blame me for you being incompetent!"

And there was the word. Sebastian froze, his gaze locked with Ciel's. "Incompetent?" He grabbed Ciel's chin and towered over him, forcing the boy to look up and – since he only seemed to like Sebastian's proximity in irregular intervals – make himself a little smaller. "Now, don't you dare call me incompetent, young master. I took _bullets_ for you, bullets and death scythes and the teeth of undead people; I carried you around, tended to your every need and saved you more often than you can count. I was the perfect butler and helped you with every case and you _dare_ call me incompetent?" Ciel was staring at his mouth by now with a very odd expression, perhaps he was contemplating something, but Sebastian couldn't really bring himself to care about that particular detail just now. Nobody insulted his abilities. "Just because you cannot admit that you _do_ have something to do with that leftover soul does not mean that I am incompetent. Without me, you'd only have been a helpless little boy who-"

He was interrupted by Ciel murmuring "Kiss me" and every single thought left him, for his primal instinct took over and he did just that. Their lips connected almost painfully but neither of them cared. Ciel fisted Sebastian's hair – and yes, it hurt – while the demon rested one hand on the small of the boy's back and the other one on his neck. Sebastian almost refused to call this a kiss. The word sounded too sweet in any demon's ears. This was something very primal laced with raw desire and undertones of fear, it was a fight for the upper hand in the game they were playing, it was teeth and tongue, bites, _blood_; it was tugs and shoves and pushes while they were only getting closer and closer yet.

Ciel tasted very sweet and of all the things he'd done and seen and Sebastian couldn't stop the moan that tumbled from his lips at the taste of that blood. The boy fisted his hair tighter in response, biting at his lower lip in response and very probably swallowing a few drops of the emerging blood. When they finally broke apart, Ciel was gasping for air while Sebastian littered his throat with kisses and bites and trailed his tongue along the jugular vein. At one point, Ciel's knees buckled. Sebastian, grinning, held the boy tighter.

"There was something in your blood," Ciel said breathlessly.

_Wonderful_, Sebastian thought and smiled at the implications that came with the statement, _wonderful_. "It has that effect on every human," he answered and licked the boy's ear shell, earning a low moan. He untied the silken eye patch and let it fall to the floor. The pentagram seemed to glow a little brighter than usual.

"You could have told me earlier."

"How should I do that with your mouth in the way?"

The boy tugged sharply at his hair. "You despicable, filthy-"

And they kissed again.

Ciel's hands grabbed him by the collar, pulling him down – or back into the living-room. Sebastian broke the kiss and decided that he didn't want to go further on a couch or on the floor, so he picked Ciel up (who kicked at him) and went up the stairs. In the boy's bedroom, he carefully set his former master on the bed who looked at him with an unfathomable expression. "Are you going to be a coward again?" Sebastian asked, standing by the bedside, smiling.

Anger flaring in the boy's eyes, he sat up. "That's it! You are not allowed to touch me until I'm done with you." He motioned to the mattress. "Lie down."

The demon cocked his head to the side but did as he was told. Lying down on his back, he curiously regarded Ciel who huffed in annoyance and straddled his hips. Small hands unbuttoned his shirt. Sebastian noticed that said hands were trembling, too. "That nervous?"

"Shut up," the boy hissed. "I'm awfully cold in case you haven't noticed."

Sebastian smirked and let his hands rest by his sides. It was already difficult not to touch Ciel. When the smaller one finally unbuttoned the shirt, he exhaled softly, tracing porcelain-coloured fingers over the demon's chest. "I may remind you that it was your choice to be bitten by zombies and hit by death scythes."

"It was in my aesthetics to do so, for you were my master and I was contracted to keep you alive." Sebastian raised an eyebrow. "Don't twist my words around."

Ciel sneered at him, but the expression quickly softened into something different. Sebastian knew that look: When he'd still been a butler, Ciel had watched him like that once in a while. It had been a gaze full of innocent attraction and young desire. Now it was back, almost mocking the age that the eyes usually spoke of, and Sebastian raised a hand to cup the boy's cheek. He remembered his restriction and halted in mid-air. Ciel's attention was pulled to the hand for a short moment, his eyes glinting with malicious glee, before he wriggled forward – Sebastian, feeling the much intended friction, almost groaned – and licked over his cut lower lip, his nails digging sharply into Sebastian's biceps. A small moan was heard when Ciel lapped at the remaining blood, and the simple action went straight to the demon's crotch.

The younger male sat up again and started disrobing. He didn't do it purposefully slow, but Sebastian admired every newly revealed expanse of skin, anyway. When the boxers came away, thrown into a corner along with the trousers, Sebastian automatically asked whether he could touch him now. Ciel grinned, scooting down to the demon's upper thighs, and opened his trousers. "Who said that you are ever going to touch me again? I might only touch you, take what I need and leave."

Sebastian wisely enough said nothing to that. With a little help, both his trousers and underwear were off in no time, leaving him back with only his open shirt. Ciel regarded the pale body in front of him, his expression oddly pensive. "I hate you," he muttered. "To think that I still want you… It makes me nauseous."

"I can't say that you aren't the first to say that." Sebastian smirked, but that smirk quickly faltered when the boy let go and leaned forward, his lips touching Sebastian's abdomen. He used his nails more often than his hands as he explored the demon's body, preferred biting over kisses and wasn't very intent on giving the other pleasure (it simply happened to come along, since Ciel found his pleasure spots as if he knew where they were), but Sebastian wasn't complaining at all. It was simply a little too frustrating to be unable to touch him. He wanted to push Ciel on his back and just fuck him, whether he changed his mind or not.

Ciel kissed his way down to the demon's hip, still taking rather than giving, satisfying almost childlike curiosity, and stopped. He sat up again and held his head. "Your blood must be the most repulsing thing I've ever had in my system."

"Your desire won't decrease just because you're insulting me."

Ciel rubbed his own upper thigh, then stopped, looking at the naked flesh as if he couldn't remember having taken his clothes off. "Well, this is just messed up." He climbed off the bed and ran a hand through his hair.

Sebastian looked at him. "Are you done with me?"

"Yes," Ciel said distractedly, in the middle of looking for his underwear.

Then he froze.

The demon grinned and grabbed the boy's arm before he could utter another word, pulling him back onto the bed. "But I'm not done with _you_."

Ciel's eyes widened in surprise, but he didn't move away. Maybe his senses were still a little bit clouded...

If Ciel didn't want his touch though, he was still able to refuse. But as Sebastian licked, kissed, touchedhim, he probably didn't care anymore.

Sebastian adored this body. It was small and soft and as white as the sheets it was lying on, beautiful in its own, fragile way. He couldn't help but think that it was such a pity that he'd never see Ciel as a grown-up man. But he could do with this body, too, as long as the mind was the same. His hands seemed large as he curled them around Ciel's waist. Lean hips bucked, searching for friction, and Sebastian admired the way the skin stretched over Ciel's heaving chest. Small fingers tugged at his shirt and he took it off quickly. "Are you going to get to it?" Ciel asked impatiently.

Sebastian smiled. "Why, yes, I am." He brought two fingers to his own lips, thoroughly coating them with salvia. Ciel watched him, entranced, and Sebastian couldn't help the smug feeling it gave him.

As the demon began preparing Ciel, he couldn't help but smirk at the younger male's reaction. Who had known that he would look so much more beautiful with his face slightly flushed and his eyes glimmering with anticipation…?

…Well, Sebastian could also see dismay in there, but he was just going to ignore that part. They were on the right way, that much was certain. He leaned down to harshly suck at the pale skin of Ciel's neck, feeling the shudder that ran through the small body and the gasp that escaped reddened was it. Forget proper preparation, he wasn't going to wait any longer.

Ciel's eyes were challenging as he was filled, stretched, and small fingers moved behind Sebastian's neck, ready to claw at his skin.

"Is this what you wanted?" Sebastian asked.

"What do you mean?" Ciel asked in return, breathless as the demon was sheathed within him. He needed a moment to relax but was quickly ready.

Moving on top of him, Sebastian nibbled on Ciel's earlobe. "I remember the boy who thought he could observe me without me noticing. Who whispered my name in the dark as he touched himself. Who once came to my bed at night but didn't dare touch me."

Ciel's nails buried themselves in Sebastian's skin. "I never did such things."

But he had. Sebastian wondered whom Ciel was trying to fool. "You've always wanted me and never stopped. So I ask you; Is _this _what you wanted?"

And Ciel, as good as lost in his pleasure, said, "Almost."

The demon smiled. No answer could have been better than this.

Movements grew faster as pants and low moans filled the room. Ciel once buried his teeth in the crook of Sebastian's neck to muffle a particularly loud moan. Sebastian still wanted to hear more.

Ciel carefully licked the abused place, an almost apologetic gesture, and let his head fall back into the pillows, throat exposed where a large bruise was blossoming. Sebastian, careful not utter a sound, watched as Ciel opened his eyes again. Their gazes locked and mismatched eyes widened for a split second. Ciel reached up and cupped Sebastian's face in his hands, fingers ghosting over the skin beneath glowing red eyes and over lips that were hiding sharp teeth. Sebastian recognized that pleased expression before he wiped it out of Ciel's face with a skilled twist of his hand.

Picking up on his words from earlier, he said, "I can always be what you want me to. Don't forget that." He was giving Ciel a tool to reach another step on their game. The younger male, clever as he was, stared at him, seeming genuinely surprised. He opened his mouth to say something, but Sebastian cut him off by angling his thrust _just right_. Ciel's words were lost, forgotten, and Sebastian took in the beautiful sight of the pale body writhing in pleasure. In the spur of the moment, he leaned down for a kiss that was returned with vigour.

This was _his_.

When Ciel climaxed, it was with a gasp and the demon's chosen name on his lips, centimetres away from the demon's own mouth. Sebastian rested his forehead against the boy's, allowing his release with a final thrust.

Nothing but heavy pants filled the air for a few moments.

Then Ciel said, "You drugged me."

And Sebastian said, "Well, you didn't have to bite me."

Silence.

Then Ciel said, "This doesn't change anything."

And Sebastian said, "Of course not," putting as much hidden meaning into his words as he managed.

Ciel - predictably - frowned at him, looking thoroughly annoyed. He pushed at the demon who wouldn't budge and then gave up. Only then did Sebastian sit up and slide out of him. Licking Ciel's ejaculate from his fingers, he walked over to the bathroom to get a small towel. When he came back to wipe the mess off of Ciel's body, the boy was staring at the opposite wall. He didn't manage to look at Sebastian when the demon cleaned him. Instead, he stared at the ceiling and muttered a curse.

"Now," Sebastian said, "a nobleman shouldn't say such things."

"I haven't been one of those for a very long time." He seemed distracted.

"We shouldn't have done this," Sebastian said, sure that these were the boy's thoughts.

"We shouldn't have," Ciel agreed.

"Funny," Sebastian said, "you're the first to regret it."

"I'm no-" Ciel stopped. "That was a bad trick."

"You're the one who's lying to himself, not me."

Ciel gave him a poisonous look. "You realize that I only agreed to sex because I was cold and drugged, don't you? Don't flatter yourself."

This made Sebastian chuckle. He leaned over to brush back stray strands of hair. "You paid a high price for getting warm again."

Ciel, enduring the demon's ministrations, watched him with a curiously unreadable expression. "Does this mean that I belong to you now?"

"It depends," Sebastian answered. "Your body does belong to me, as does your soul, since you gave both to me willingly. Both have been claimed. What remains is your heart, so I have to ask you: Do I own you with every fibre of your being?" He expected a negative answer, something along the lines of 'You cannot own me. No one can.'

But Ciel remained silent.

And while it wasn't a yes, it wasn't a no, either. It was indecision, a step forward from where they had come from. Sebastian placed a chaste kiss on the boy's forehead and got up. "You seem very exhausted."

Ciel sighed and crawled under the covers.

"Oh, and Ciel?" Sebastian waited until the boy lazily looked up from under the blankets. "Demonic blood can't heighten your desire when you aren't attracted to me."

Now Ciel was definitively glaring. "You still drugged me."

"I simply made this even more pleasurable for you."

Ciel turned his back towards him and Sebastian decided that he needed time to collect his thoughts. Picking up his clothes, the demon left the room and closed the door behind him. He put his boxers back on rested his back against the door to Ciel's bedroom.

He didn't know how long he'd been standing like that but when he heard the faint thud of boots connecting with the floor, a cackling and the sound of movement under blankets, he left.

**OOO**

"Good thing I didn't let Grell check on you. He'd have halved you by now."

Ciel sat up in his bed, wrapping the blanket around his body. The warmth from his and Sebastian's activity was already fading, bringing back the icy chill that had his teeth chattering and his whole body shivering. The demonic blood had left a sweet taste in his mouth and he couldn't help but wonder why it wasn't as strong as he'd expected it to be. In truth, it had left his head clear, it had simply heightened his sense of touch.

He was still mad at the demon.

Even though he'd claimed the incident would change anything, it wasn't true. Every single, damned, childish emotion from old times was rushing through him, the knowledge that he had what he'd dreamed as a boy, that it had been wonderful and fulfilling… it all came, and it came fast, found a corner right behind his forehead and bragged with so much joy that he wanted to off himself, just to quiet those feelings.

"The smell of sex is unmistakable," the Undertaker said, strolling over to the bed and choosing a corner to sit down, not feeling awkward in the least, "so I assume you've reached your goal."

"My goal has been reached the moment that my revenge was accomplished," Ciel said.

"Revenge is such a senseless, meaningless, strangely unfulfilling notion." The Undertaker smiled at him in the moonlit darkness. "Just like your survival."

"Says the man who made it possible."

"I don't mean to put it in a bad light, but even though we had good times, you must admit I did a horrible, horrible thing by reviving you." The reaper tilted his head to the side. "I should have thought of this, but I never expected for the demon to take that long to find you. It only contributes to his show of innocence, doesn't it?"

Ciel didn't answer, wondering where this conversation was going. "We've already established that you know what's wrong. If you could tell me, we'd both benefit from this."

The Undertaker stared at him. "My," he finally said, "you're shivering."

"That's because you left the window open," Ciel retorted sharply.

"No, it's not."

"Then just _tell_ me why this is happening." Ciel was becoming increasingly frustrated, cold and… frightened, because the Undertaker was actually disinclined to tell him and that must mean something. It wasn't about formulating the right words to get the answer he needed; it was no little game but something very serious that he should know about.

The reaper took his hand and Ciel was very conscious of his nakedness and of the marks that were blooming all over his body (good to know that Sebastian was decorated with many bitemarks as well). But the Undertaker didn't seem to mind much that he'd just came in after Ciel had slept with somebody else. (And if he asked, he was sure the Undertaker would say something along the lines of 'Well, I saw it coming', so he'd save his breath.)

"Was he any good?"

Completely caught off guard, Ciel stared. "First you tell me you regret reviving me and now you are asking me how Sebastian was in bed?"

"I never said that I regret what I did." The Undertaker smiled. "And I want to know whether I can keep up with him."

His method was effective. Ciel almost laughed. Almost. "I won't tell you."

"How unfortunate." The Undertaker let go and flopped down on the floor, grinning.

There was silence for a very long time.

"You're not going to tell me anything, are you?" Ciel finally asked.

There was no affirmation, nor was there a negative response in any form or shape. The Undertaker just kept on grinning. Even for him, this was pretty off. "Stop that."

"Why should I?" the reaper asked calmly. "It would be sad if we all just broke down, wouldn't it? It's important to see the light side."

"And what is it in my case?"

"Flowers and daisies," the Undertaker said, "from underneath. In one of my special coffins."

Ciel rolled his eyes. "Now that's peachy."

"See it that way." The reaper thought about it for a moment. "It will be over. And as long as you don't do anything stupid, you might have some more time… and what is that on your mouth?"

Ciel blinked. "What?"

"That." The Undertaker pointed. Ciel didn't understand, so the older male brushed his thumb along the corner of Ciel's mouth like annoying aunts would do. He looked at it in the barely lit room, sniffed, presumably tasted and was quiet afterwards. "And you _did_ something stupid," he then said, "but I should have known that you aren't into vanilla sex."

Ciel felt his cheeks colouring. "Shut up. It was an accident. I don't see how swallowing a drop of Sebastian's blood could make it worse."

"Your soul seeks for its rightful owner." Getting up, the Undertaker sighed. "So your body is doing its best to reject it."

He fell silent. Ciel sat up properly, not caring for his nakedness anymore, less even for all those marks of possession, and pulled at the man's hair, getting their foreheads to rest against each other. The gesture seemed so very different from the same thing Sebastian had done to him. A sense of dread was spreading in Ciel's stomach, into his limbs and he suddenly didn't want to hear what would come next. His body was rejecting his soul. It was fighting the contract but why –

His experiments. His numerous deaths. They were turning against him.

Ciel understood. He _understood_.

"You're deteriorating," the Undertaker said.

* * *

><p><em>Aw, gawd, that is so stupidly dramatic. Uh, don't hate me? XD <em>

_I hope the lemon was alright. I actually prefer writing it non-explicit but it doesn't always work with those two... (Hm, I guess I might come back and change it. Because I'm still not happy with it )_

_So, dears, don't forget your feedback. We've only got 3 more chapters to go, so don't leave me hanging =D_


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: **Thanks again for all your reviews, alerts and favs!

**Disclaimer**: Still not mine.

**Chapter 12**

When Sebastian returned to his room that night – well past midnight – Ciel was still awake, freezing, staring at the ceiling and pondering on the process of deterioration. He knew that the demon could be checking for traces of the Undertaker on him, but since nothing had happened, he didn't feel like telling the other male how annoying this was.

He scooted over to the other side of the bed and turned his back to him.

Sebastian was very quiet for a very long time, but Ciel couldn't close his eyes during that silence. "What -," the demon finally began, but Ciel interrupted him.

"Are you going to lie down or not? Do you require a written invitation?"

Sebastian moved under the covers and kept a respectable distance. Ciel knew that he knew that something was wrong, but when had nothing been wrong, anyway? "How much did you hear?"

"I found it appropriate to leave as soon as I sensed the Undertaker entering your room," Sebastian replied smoothly. It sounded practiced, as if he himself had wondered about the same thing.

At least he couldn't lie, so Ciel didn't have to question the answer.

"Would you mind telling me what's wrong now?" the demon asked.

"I'm already sore," Ciel snapped at him, "_that's_ wrong."

"Would you turn around and not lie to me?"

"I'm not lying!" Ciel turned exasperatedly, only realizing that he'd followed the demon's order when Sebastian pulled him close. Warm arms closed around him and his first instinct was to snuggle closer to lessen the cold that bit him. It was almost comforting.

… Well, he hadn't expected that.

Sighing, Ciel leaned into the other male's embrace, wondering about the demon's helpful behaviour. To be honest, he'd never stopped assessing Sebastian, not even after his very first revival. He'd been constantly thinking about the demon in his childish idiocy, then in his matured pondering and now he was digging up his old memories. As a child, it had been reminiscing, sometimes sprinkled with analyses which quickly had preoccupied his thoughts. He'd always been wondering about the demon, but Sebastian had never let him see too much.

Now, due to recent changes in their interactions, he was showing... _something_. And Ciel couldn't quite tell whether it was a trick or not. Trying to find it out became his main priority for half an hour in which he stared at the demon's chest, shoulder, neck, hair while thinking. At least it was better than thinking of his literally wasting body. The demon didn't inquire what he was pondering over and Ciel sure wouldn't tell him.

And then he understood.

He _thought_ he understood, because he couldn't claim he knew how demons coped with it. He couldn't tell whether it was a usual occurrence. _It_ was hesitant, maybe even misleading because it was in its beginning stage. Maybe it had already concluded that stage, Ciel couldn't tell. _Maybe Sebastian was playing tricks on him_. He could never quite let that theory go. And the demon probably was, because… well, this was a demon he was talking about. It was all about the art of deceiving without outright lying. What Sebastian had told him earlier had just been another step to have Ciel give in to him. There was nothing more to it. Demons were unable to show any sign of affection.

Ciel sighed, his breath ghosting over Sebastian's pale flesh. He wriggled out of the demon's touch and took a set of clothes out of his wardrobe in the moonlight, not bothering to search for the pieces strewn around his room. "What are you doing?" Sebastian asked him.

"Going out," Ciel answered. "Do not follow me."

He wondered how it felt, to be invited into a bed and then left alone there. Then he shrugged to himself, trying not to act on his inconvenient feelings (because he did yearn for the demon; unfortunately not only because he was cold), put his clothes on and went downstairs.

Sebastian did not follow.

Ciel got his keys, put on his shoes and, since it was winter, grabbed his thickest coat before he left the house. It was still awfully _cold_! He should have put on another pullover.

Walking in the crisp winter air had something oddly refreshing, but as he turned to look at his old townhouse, he immediately thought _I'm actually dying_.

It was very disturbing to find out that one's body was working against oneself. Ciel didn't exactly mind that he'd die by Sebastian's hands, but this was certainly another level. It seemed like a matter of time now: With his body wasting away, his soul would be fully rejected sooner or later. Maybe he should tell Sebastian, but he guessed that the demon was catching on already.

He wasn't going to waste his breath, then. It suddenly seemed very precious to him, this ability to suck in and breathe out air. The workings in his body that would need the incoming oxygen.

He'd died a lot of times, but this had such a final ring to it, he couldn't stop himself from thinking of all those things in his body that would soon end. Or rather, which were ending already.

When the heart stopped beating, the body started destroying itself.

And with Ciel, it had already begun.

"Kiddo."

The boy stopped walking. "My _name_ is Ciel."

Ronald appeared next to him, grinning sheepishly. "Sorry, man, Grell's a bad influence."

"What are you doing here?" Ciel asked. "Spying?"

The reaper shook his blond head in the streetlight. "I was out to get a soul just now and decided on a walk afterwards. Somehow… I ended up here."

"That's nice," Ciel said, "you might want to end up somewhere else now."

"Aw, don't be so harsh. You look like you could need some company." Ronald gave him a smile that would melt any woman's heart, but since Ciel was no female, he was very, very unaffected by it. Nevertheless, he knew he would not get rid of the reaper, so why not have him at his side for a few minutes? He might get called away, anyway.

"Fine." He resumed walking, Ronald at his side. The silence was strangely comfortable and Ciel rubbed his arms to stay warm. The temperature never changed, so he almost suggested jogging but dismissed the idea very quickly.

"So," Ronald said after a few blocks of silence, "why don't you run away?"

"What?" Ciel asked.

"You could, you know. We wouldn't be allowed to help you, but you still could."

"I can't deny Sebastian what rightfully belongs to him," Ciel answered levelly. "Running away is not a solution, neither is it an option."

The reaper hummed pensively. "Come to think of it: Your state wouldn't allow it anyway."

Ciel stopped in his tracks. "Just how much do you know?"

"I know that your body is rotting."

"Does something on me resemble _rot_ to you?" Ciel asked sharply.

Ronald held up his hands in defence. "You know I didn't mean it that way, man! But the Undertaker had this theory and it seems that he was right. Don't worry, only me, Grell and William know."

"That's more than enough." With a huff, Ciel tried to suppress a shiver. "You reapers gossip too much."

"We don't!" Ronald said with mock exasperation. The tone alone told Ciel that yes, they did.

They passed a children's playground and an Underground Station until the reoccurred silence was broken again, this time by Ciel. "I thought you wanted to be company. Usually, you're not that silent."

"Ah, you see," Ronald said, "it's hard to find something to talk about to you. I don't want to offend you, man. But tell me, do you feel like drinking?"

"Why?"

"Well, you're obviously freezing, and I'm cold, too, so I guess we should go somewhere warm. A bar is all I can think of at this time of the night."

"You do know that even if we went into a bar, it wouldn't change anything."

Ronald's tentative grin faded abruptly. "Oh... right. Sorry, kid."

"Shut up. I hope you have a good place to recommend. And the drink goes on you."

There was an enthusiastic nod. "It's just a few blocks away."

"Considering that we've already come quite a few blocks…" Ciel waved a hand when Ronald glanced at him curiously. He didn't know how much time had passed, but he wouldn't confess that to the reaper. As far as he knew, the side-effects became very bad after two hours.

The bar Ronald took him to wasn't smelling of cigarette smoke as Ciel remembered from the days in which the Undertaker had dragged him into such places. The bartender looked friendly enough but raised his eyebrows when he saw Ciel. Ronald talked to him while the boy searched for a seat in the back of the bar. When the reaper followed, he held two glasses of gin. The wonders Ronald could do with his words… Ciel nipped at his drink, sitting with his back to the bar. The gin wasn't one of those kinds that were either cheap or watered down and he almost made a mental note to let Ronald pay for his drinks any other evening as long as they went to peaceful locations like this one.

… And then he wondered whether Sebastian would accompany them.

He shook his head, growing displeased at the foreboding feeling in the back of his head. Ronald was checking his book at the moment. "Good, looks like I'll get some proper sleep this night."

Ciel nodded towards the book that was put away. "Will my name appear there, too?"

Sitting back with a comfortable sigh but with a guarded gaze, the reaper carefully shrugged. "I don't know. You're a very special case. But even contracted souls appear in our books, so why not?" He cocked his head to his side. "That's really a depressing subject. Enjoy your time while you're still here."

Ciel took another small sip from his beverage. "So that things can be more interesting for you reapers?"

Ronald raised an eyebrow. The quick glance that he shot at Ciel's barely-touched glass didn't escape the boy's notice. "I guess you're talking about our supervision. It has to be done, don't take it personally."

"But I do." Ciel thought of Sebastian's hands on him while an itching sensation spread across his contract seal. "I've always wondered whether you find this funny. To me, the reapers' involvement speaks of a very perverted sense of humour."

Ronald took a rather large gulp of his gin and pulled a slight grimace. "Will told me that this would happen sooner or later."

"Did he now?" Ciel arched an eyebrow.

Keeping his calm, Ronald smiled amicably at him. It was… strangely remarkable. "Yeah, he did. Listen, nobody gets a laugh from watching you die. Yes, it seems creepy, but someone has to make sure that Sebastian stays with you, concludes his business and goes back to hell or wherever else he wants to go – preferably hell, though." He reached across the table and poked the boy's forehead. "It's got nothing to do with you personally. And if you ask me, I find this whole ordeal rather sad. Even the Undertaker is beating himself up over it, man."

Well, that part was definitely new. Scowling but pacified, Ciel gently pushed the older male's arm away. "I don't need your pity."

Ronald pouted. "Why would you think I pitied you? In your predicament, I would be going crazy, but look at you, sitting here all aloof and collected. It's a feat and I could never pity anyone this strong."

Ciel huffed at the 'aloof', but didn't object. Instead he looked into his drink and found that thinking was becoming increasingly difficult when Sebastian was in his focus. "You're off the hook," he said and couldn't help but smile softly at the vibrant grin that came onto Ronald's lips.

"Great! So, how about another round?"

"I've barely fini-"

"That's a yes."

Ronald hopped away like an over-enthusiastic puppy and Ciel chuckled softly at the sight. The tension had eased dramatically, and when Ronald came back with some weird cocktail that had Ciel complain about preferring a glass of whiskey, they had a decent conversation. It was obvious that some subjects, mainly Ciel's predicament as well as the reapers' waiting for his death, were stubbornly avoided, but everything else was safe territory. Ciel couldn't help but notice that Ronald was talking an awful lot of the Undertaker. It wasn't his business, though, so he just provided the admirer stories from the years he'd spent with the silver-haired reaper. Only then did he notice for how long they'd endured each other. Somehow, it was a pleasant thing to discover that it was possible to keep a friendship upright for so long. Looking back, Ciel still wondered how it was possible that he'd never left.

The pain came after his second glass and Ciel politely remarked that he'd have to go to school. Ronald had the gall to laugh at that, but he paid for their drinks and together, they left the bar. The walk back home was increasingly painful, but Ciel didn't dare show it outwards. His hands started shaking rather badly, so he shoved them into the pockets of his jeans and kept quiet about it. Ronald shot him weird looks from time to time and when Ciel finally uttered the single word 'contract', everything was understood to an extent and the looks stopped occurring immediately. Thankfully, Ronald didn't apologize; it would have made matters worse.

One street away from the Phantomhive townhouse, they said their goodbyes. Ciel waited until Ronal was out of sight and hurried back to his own house, his stomach lurching in warning, his legs protesting, and unlocked the door after two or three tries. He slid out of his shoes and climbed the stairs in a rush, hating, hating, _hating_ that contract and feeling strangely giddy inside, which didn't add up to his good mood.

Sebastian had not left the bed, probably figuring that this was Ciel's own idiocy (and Ciel couldn't deny that it was). He'd switched on the lamp on his nightstand and was reading a book on economics. When Ciel entered the room, he lazily lifted his gaze to look at him, but didn't move at all. Ciel , walking over to his wardrobe to change his clothes (and glaring at his shaking fingers),almost wondered whether the demon was sulking.

Sebastian put away the book as Ciel moved under the covers and smirked when Ciel stared at him from the other side of the bed. "Are you waiting for something?"

"You should've been all over me by now." Ciel frowned. "And you aren't."

"Funny things, those expectations." Sebastian grinned openly. "You might want to overthink them."

"Shut up and touch me."

"And if I refuse?"

Ciel, feeling sick, weak, tired, chilled to the bones _and_ sore, had had enough. He crossed his arms and glared at the other male, the source of the downward spiral his life was taking (and had been since he'd summoned him, come to think of it). Sebastian snaked an arm around Ciel, pulling him closer. He let his hands glide under the fabric of the oversized shirt and kissed the already abused crook of Ciel's neck. The younger male sighed, his body softly arching against the touch. "You're going to change that contract," he said. "I don't want to be handled like a disobedient dog anymore."

"You've been good," Sebastian added between kisses and Ciel kicked at him beneath the covers. It only caused him to chuckle. "If I am allowed to touch your body whenever I feel like, I will change it."

"My body belongs to you now, doesn't it?" Ciel murmured absently, barely keeping himself from hissing. "Change that contract."

Tiny little pinpricks followed the curve of Ciel's spine -

And that was it. Ciel relaxed into the touches, smiling to himself.

That was it.

The pain of the side-effects went with the alteration, but Ciel didn't reject the feeling of Sebastian's hands against his bare skin. Not because he was obliged to let the demon touch him but because he wanted it.

There was something very wrong about being attracted to one's certain death. The thought scared him less than he'd expected. Ciel had seen his share of wrong and crazy and incorrect, so maybe he didn't feel anything anymore because it was just another strange reaction among a list of strange things.

He thought of Ronald's words again. To run away was a non-existent option that only he would suggest, but it had made Ciel curious somehow. He couldn't deny that.

"What if I ran away?" he asked.

Sebastian's gaze felt heavy on his skin before the demon's arm tightened around him. "I'd always find you."

"Well," Ciel mused, "there certainly are things that you cannot escape from."

Sebastian hummed noncommittally and Ciel wanted to scream just this once.

There was something _very_ wrong about being attracted to one's certain death.

**OOO**

The next morning, he woke up alone, shirtless and … numb. For a moment, he couldn't tell where his feet were and couldn't feel them, either. When he brushed a hand over his legs, the feeling came back.

His own limbs were cold and dead underneath his hands.

Ciel swallowed harshly, horrible thoughts beginning to clot his head. He experimentally curled his toes a few times and then put his feet on the floor. Pushing himself up, he assumed a standing position.

So far so good.

When he took one step, his whole body protested right away. There was no pain (expect for the one in his rear) when his knees buckled, when he lost balance and when he fell forward. It was a simple momentary system failure, he'd almost say. He connected with the wooden floor and hissed at the pain in his hipbone.

Then he got up, slowly fetched his uniform, looked at the watch. Then he rushed into the bathroom.

Everything was alright.

He was _not_ wasting. Everyone just connected with the floor like a falling card house once in a while.

Breakfast was very quiet. Sebastian wasn't even smirking, nor did he ask about the fall. Ciel knew he'd heard it. There was no way that he hadn't.

Even Lizzie was careful with her hug. "When I said that you looked like a zombie, I think I was exaggerating. You look like one _now_."

"Thank you," Ciel said dryly.

"It's like you've got some deadly disease or something."

Why, thank you for noticing, Ciel almost said. Instead, he laughed at her. "Don't be silly. Turns out I have anaemia, that's all."

"You don't look after yourself," she said.

"I'm just worrying about my father," Ciel retorted.

"But-"

"Lizzie, _please_."

Kindly shut up.

She closed her mouth immediately, her hand catching one of his. She put her other hand on top of his, warming it. "You're still cold."

"That's because the weather is cold."

"You should go see a doctor."

"We should go to school."

She didn't object and Ciel went into the car without further words. Hesitating, Lizzie turned to Sebastian standing by the door who said something that sounded like "He's just worried, it'll go away" before she seemed reassured enough to take a seat next to her friend.

The door slammed shut and the car came into motion and Ciel smiled and nodded when appropriate and acted as if he'd never spotted Grell on the opposite side of his house.

* * *

><p><em>I hope you liked it (y'know, the regular stuff). I'm just happy that I had a chance to write Ronald again. He never had a real conversation with Ciel, so I figured it might as well just happen.<em>

_Don't forget your reviews, dears=D _

_Two more chapters to go!_

_**P.S.:** Another multichap is in progress! (shameless advertising) You might want to look out for an AU fic called 'Crescendo' (I'm quite sure that's going to be the title) in the near future after this one's finished, with a larger Kuro cast and a SebaCiel that will be... lighter. But I'm not going to have them be stupidly in wuv, or constantly horny, because... no. Just no. The fic's not very far yet (plotline is roughly done and chapter one is in its last sentences), so I can't say how dark it's going to be exactly, but for one thing, Ciel won't be deteriorating in that fic (XD)._


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

Ciel's body was soft and small against his. Sebastian held him in his lap, fingers dancing across his thighs while Ciel rested against his back, watching the news. It was a strangely comfortable silence, strangely solemn and very, very grotesque.

Things had reached something final, something inevitable. Sebastian, however, couldn't completely tell what was wrong. He could see that Ciel was still basically the same, only fading. While he was talking, blaming, complaining like he always did, his words held a certain empty spot where meaning should have been. His voice was as loud as always, but he was usually hunched over now, dismissing perfect posture in order to stay warm. His movements had slowed a tad, and the teachers called, asking what was wrong.

He said he didn't know.

And Ciel completely stopped going to school.

"Do you think death is warm?" Ciel asked.

"You shouldn't worry about it," Sebastian answered. "You will be erased."

The only thing that had changed for the better was that he'd given in. In, not up, which would have been a very unlikely option with him, anyway. Ciel regularly bickered with him and tried to order him around as if Sebastian still were his butler. Sometimes he yelled. Sometimes he smiled.

It was almost normal.

Except for that unyielding sharp edge of something that Sebastian had yet to understand. He was probably in denial, he sometimes thought when he looked at the boy, his thoughts refusing to find an explanation to the dimming contract mark in the boy's eye.

Ciel's fingernails were turning a bluish black. It had started with a light colouring during particularly cold days, something he'd seen on a lot of people before, so he hadn't deemed it important.

But when Ciel had started painting his fingers black, he'd certainly wondered.

The boy had taken off his nail polish for the weekend, and his hands were around Sebastian's which held him by the waist. Suffice to say that Ciel had developed the habit of misusing the demon as his living heater since "this house's heaters are clearly not working. Still not working. Do something against it, Sebastian."

The news reported of deaths and kidnappings and Ciel switched channels. "I'm old," he said suddenly. He turned his head to the window. Snow had begun to fall again this morning.

"Not as old as I am," Sebastian said.

"Well, you're still agile and have the energy."

"The young master is talking like an old man." Sebastian smiled.

"My birthday is in a week. I'll begin my fifteenth _decade_. I _am_ old." Ciel slowly turned in the demon's lap so that he could face the other male properly. He cupped Sebastian's face in his hands and leaned in. "Old and tired and -"

"Don't say that." Sebastian's smile grew wider as he pressed their mouths together. As they both knew to whom this small body belonged now, Ciel didn't resist. He exhaled carefully and opened his mouth to Sebastian's probing tongue.

"Even the Undertaker thinks I'm better off dead," the boy said as they broke the kiss.

Sebastian raised an eyebrow. Could this be the reason why Ciel had been so pensive during the last days? "Does he now?" he drawled. "Well, I'm sorry for that."

"You're not." Ciel looked at him from the side. "You couldn't care less."

"I do because I care about _you_."

Taken aback, it was Ciel's turn to stare at him imploringly. "That is a lie."

"Not at all. You remember that I cannot lie, don't you?"

Ciel slid off his lap and walked to the door. "Then you're being ambiguous. You can care about me in different ways. Would you elaborate and specify?"

"Why?" Sebastian countered, getting up from the sofa as well. "Why would you need me to elaborate? You can interpret it as you wish."

Ciel scowled, seeming sceptic now. "On second thought, I don't care."

"You do." Sebastian switched off the TV and walked over to his ward. "Is there something you need confirmed?"

"Confirmed?" Ciel repeated. "No."

"Ah," Sebastian breathed, nodding as if he was of the same opinion. He invaded the boy's personal space and leaned down. "Are you sure?"

"Very." Ciel took a step towards the stairs, but Sebastian grabbed his arm and held him in place.

"What if I answered with yes?"

The boy raised an eyebrow. "Yes to what?"

"To your unasked question." Sebastian let go and walked towards the stairs with his hands in his pockets.

"I have many of those," Ciel said behind him.

"Well," Sebastian began as he looked over his shoulder, "you'll just have to choose the correct question for that answer, then."

There was silence as he mounted the stairs.

Then: "Quit playing with me."

It sounded tired, somewhat lost.

"I'm perfectly serious," Sebastian said.

Ciel climbed up the stairs scowling and walked past him into his bedroom. The door was slammed shut and Sebastian couldn't help but chuckle. He followed Ciel into the room. A shirt was tossed at his face when he closed the door behind him. The demon caught it and let it fall to the floor. "How can I take this?"

"Take it as a go away," Ciel snapped as he stepped out of his jeans.

"I'd rather have permission to do whatever I want with your body." Disregarding Ciel's glare, he got rid of his own pullover and slacks.

"I don't even know why you keep making sure that I _give_ you my body when you already _own_ it." Ciel moved under the covers.

The demon shrugged and followed his example, amused at the lack of protest. "It tells me that you want me as much as I want you."

"Does it now? Then take _this_ as an 'I don't want you tonight'."

Sebastian supported his head with a hand. "How about tomorrow?"

Ciel kicked at him, but that little blush dusting his cheeks told him more than enough. He reached out to switch off the light, listening to the rustle of the covers as Ciel tried to assume a comfortable position.

Funny how said position always involved cuddling Sebastian.

The demon smiled at the boy's behaviour and wrapped an arm around him to keep the shivers at bay. Even though Ciel's breathing evened out with time, he was far from asleep. Sebastian heard this in the beating of his heart and felt it in the occasional shiver against his body. He didn't do anything, just kept on breathing and staring at the ceiling.

By one in the morning, Ciel seemed to give up on getting any sleep. He pushed away the blankets and got up. Staying beneath the covers, Sebastian watched him as he walked to the window and pushed the curtains aside. He opened the window and looked down. For a split second Sebastian wondered whether he would jump.

It never happened.

Instead, Ciel called "William" and the response was a quiet, almost inaudible "Yes?" from somewhere outside.

They exchanged pleasantries at one o'clock in the morning. With his superior hearing, Sebastian could understand every word the reaper said, but he didn't bother making his presence known. Ciel and William seemed friendly enough with each other.

But as reapers were a demon's natural enemy, Sebastian couldn't help but dislike the acquaintanceship between them.

"Tell me," Ciel said now, "are there also deaths in your book that will occur in a few weeks or months?"

"Yes," William answered, and Sebastian could almost see the finger pushing up a pair of glasses, "I do receive such entries. To my subordinates, those are of no interest until the death of that particular person actually occurs."

"How fortunate for me that I'm talking to you this night," Ciel said and bent out of the window a little more. Sebastian watched him in silence. "How about my death? Is there an entry on me already?"

"What a morbid way of thought you have," William said and then fell silent.

Ciel waited.

Sebastian never heard the answer, so he figured William had either shaken his head or nodded. Ciel thanked him politely and wished him a good night. William stiffly returned the sentiment.

The window was closed, curtains were drawn and Ciel tapped back into bed, silent, with no further comment. He didn't lie down close to Sebastian, instead he curled up right next to the edge of the bed and shivered.

"So," Sebastian began, "what was his answer?"

"None of your concern."

"It is," Sebastian said.

Ciel didn't reply.

And the demon caught on.

William must have told him that there was no entry on his death. Seeing that the boy had been very intent on giving up his soul in the last months, Sebastian could safely assume that the lack of an entry didn't sit too well with him.

He pushed the blanket aside and got out of the bed.

Ciel didn't call him back. He didn't hear any rustling of the covers, so Ciel didn't even turn to see what he was doing.

Because, at the end, this was still a game, no matter what illusions they had, and neither of them cared for the other.

It was just that easy.

**OOO**

"Four days!" Lizzie squealed as she burst into his room, spread her arms wide and captured him between them.

Ciel turned his head away from the many, many ruffles on her dress in order to breathe as well as possible. "Four days?" He saw Sebastian in the doorway giving him a strange look. For some reason the demon wasn't very keen on talking to him since the night in which Ciel had talked to William. It… hurt, and Ciel couldn't deny that he wanted to be touched by Sebastian, to feel his warmth and to have the demon tease him. It gave him a certain sense of normalcy, a certain illusion, a certain security.

Sebastian closed the door behind Lizzie.

Swallowing down the lump in his throat, Ciel averted his gaze. This may have been a cruel game at the beginning, but now, things had worsened, for they weren't transparent anymore. Somewhere, things had become chaotic and Ciel couldn't tell where he was standing anymore.

The squeeze of his upper body against Lizzie's pulled him out of his thoughts. "Four days and it's your birthday, silly! You only turn fourteen once in your life."

"You're acting as if we're talking about my eighteenth birthday." Despite the pang of fear that pooled in his chest, he focussed on breathing, on observing the curl of Lizzie's golden locks.

"I already got you something," she said, sounding very pleased with herself.

"I hope it's not pink and/or glittering," Ciel responded.

She chuckled. "It's not. But I really liked the shirt I gave you last year. You use it, don't you?"

"Sure," Ciel said automatically, "at the weekends."

"I'm glad." Finally, she let go. "Anyway, is it okay if I visit you around lunch?"

"I… don't know what Sebastian planned for me," Ciel said. "And my other cousins."

"Oh," she breathed. "Then, you call me? I'd love to see you on your birthday. And maybe you'll grow a bit more as soon as you're fourteen."

He was already well past fourteen and hadn't grown a tenth of an inch.

He wasn't going to tell her that.

"Sure," he said and smiled.

She smiled in return and got up. "So, tell me, what have you been doing before I came?"

"Unannounced, I might add."

"Oh, hush, you, I need to check on you in irregular intervals." Lizzie sat down on his desk chair and analysed him. "You'd look a bit better if you didn't pull such an unhappy face."

He raised an eyebrow, but she changed the subject before he could tell her to. She started talking about… well, herself, her friends, and, strangely, Ronald, but when she saw the change in Ciel's expression, she blushed and went on about homework.

Ciel didn't know whether he should tell Ronald to not give Lizzie false hopes or tell Lizzie that Ronald wasn't interested in little girls. It was a very awkward moment for him, so he kept his mouth shut and listened to the rest of her monologue.

When she'd made sure that he was alright – she'd even insisted on taking his body temperature ("Uh, 32°C? Isn't that low?" – Hypothermia. "No, it's not. It's on the very brink of low, but it's not low _yet_.") -, she went home. Sebastian, being omnipresent when it came to hosting, drowned her in his charm by the doorstep while Ciel just rolled his eyes at that.

Then his gaze caught Sebastian's.

The door was closed and the demon's hands were on him, lips touched and fingers tangled in raven locks.

Ciel smiled.

He hated this game.

"I'm deteriorating," he said when the kiss was broken.

"I know," Sebastian said.

He blinked. "Since when?"

The demon shrugged. "Yesterday?"

"Fix it."

"Pardon?"

"It's your fault. Fix it."

"What is there to fix?" Sebastian countered, his eyebrows drawn together in faint anger. Well, it wasn't as if this was completely _Ciel's_ fault. "There is only that scrap of a soul inside you, the rest has been consumed by me. You cannot fix that." His expression grew softer. "And you cannot halt the deterioration."

Ciel opened his mouth, closed it, opened it again. "Well, that's… I guess everyone has to die."

"But it's not your time yet," the demon said and his voice sounded very soft.

Ciel averted his gaze. He had the depressing feeling that this wasn't for Sebastian to decide anymore.

"Sure."

**OOO**

Ciel would have gone to a park if the outside air didn't turn him into a living ice statue. So; he rather stayed at home and stared out of the window.

"Ciel, may you tell me how this works?"

Sebastian, for his turn, had been staring at his laptop the whole time.

Ciel moved away from the window. "You're not serious, are you?"

"Do I look like the Undertaker to you?" Sebastian asked in return.

"You don't know how to use a computer?"

"The last time I've been on Earth was in the eighties and in Madagascar. Computers were-"

"I know that computers were expensive and big." Ciel rolled his eyes.

"I wanted to say that they weren't in possession of my contractor back then."

Ciel looked at him and frowned. "Well, then. I guess you learn by observing, don't you?" He grabbed the laptop and sat on Sebastian's lap as he switched it on.

"I do. So nice of you to give me a demonstration."

"All of these modern-time assets are increasingly nerve-wracking. We old people need to teach each other." Ciel typed in his password and decided that he'd change it right away now that the demon knew.

"I'm not a person," Sebastian breathed in his ear.

"And I don't often help."

Sebastian hummed – in agreement? – before he gently took away Ciel's hand and went on the internet by himself. His breath fanned the crook of Ciel's neck were a whole new set of purplish marks were blooming. The boy tried his best not to shudder at this.

"You just wanted to get my password."

"That, too," Sebastian admitted, "but I really didn't know where you switch this device on." He typed 'Phantomhive Mansion' on the search bar, his fingers searching the correct letters on the keyboard. "It still stands, did you know?" Pictures of the mansion - now old but still classic and beautiful and with a traditional English garden – could be seen.

Ciel swallowed. "Yes."

"And it's momentarily unoccupied. We'd get in easily."

"Are you asking me to break into my old house?"

"Yes."

Ciel smiled and found his hand resting on the demon's. It looked very small and fragile in comparison to Sebastian's hand. It occurred to him that they were now in a bizarre partner look with their blackened fingernails.

"How about next week?"

Sebastian chuckled. "I'd love to."

"It's settled, then." Ciel jumped – or rather moved slowly – off the other male's lap. He pushed the laptop into Sebastian's hands and retrieved his math book from his school bag. "And since you barely needed any help, I assume I can leave you to it."

"Sure." Sebastian was already bent over the electronic device, typing at a faster pace than two minutes before. Ciel lifted an eyebrow. He still couldn't tell whether Sebastian had gained most of his knowledge of computers from seeing them being used on TV (and the demon was watching shows often, if only to comment on their inferiority) or whether he'd already known how to use such a thing. Sebastian was a fast learner after all.

Rolling his eyes, Ciel decided that he might rather stay around, so he lied down on his bed and quickly did his homework. He could admit that he preferred to be occupied, even if it was only with children's homework. The sound of fingers hitting the keyboard didn't distract him in the least; it showed him that someone was there.

"What are you doing?" he asked at length.

"Seeing what the people these days are up to."

"Please don't visit any porn sites."

The demon stopped typing and clicking for a full second to give Ciel a _look_. "Why would I do that?"

"I just thought I should warn you, since that's what people are up to."

Sebastian chuckled and resumed staring at the monitor. "Demons prefer getting their hands on the flesh they see. Also, they choose when they want to lust for… certain humans."

Biting his lower lip, Ciel tried to concentrate on his homework. Unfortunately, it was too easy to really occupy his thoughts. Quickly giving up on the matter, Ciel craned his head to catch a glimpse of the layout of a news website. "You are awfully obsessed with the news."

"You humans are only living up to your full potential these days, that's all. I like being informed about it."

… Well, if that wasn't a well-hidden insult.

"Humans also have good things to offer," Ciel said slowly.

The demon's expression clearly stated 'You're not serious.' "Such as?"

Ciel shrugged. After all the things he'd seen, he didn't really know what to say. "Art and music?"

The corners of Sebastian's mouth twitched. "Demons can do that, too."

"Oh, really?" Ciel couldn't help but be sceptic at that. "What do you refer to as art? Your victims' guts on the floor? Are their screams your music?"

A sardonic smile appeared on Sebastian's mouth. "I personally prefer their hearts in my hand."

Ciel almost dropped his pen at that. There was a moment in which he needed to collect his scattered thoughts. "That sounds… interesting." He brushed a stray strand of hair out of his face and looked the demon in the eye.

"Do demons actually love?"

"Why so interested?" But Sebastian looked as if he knew why Ciel was asking despite acting as if he didn't.

"It's just a natural course of thought. Living beings can show affection for each other. Can demons?"

Slowly, Sebastian shook his head. "I'm pretty certain this notion is lost among demons. We lust, we desire, but I can't remember having heard of a demon falling in love." He got to his feet and placed the laptop on Ciel's desk.

"That's an interesting choice of words you had there," Ciel said at length. "You're 'pretty certain'? And you can't remember? It doesn't exclude that maybe with one or the other demon, this actually happens."

"Now you're making assumptions." The demon walked over to the bed and looked down on the boy lying there. "I can tell you with certainty that normal demons do not feel love for anyone. And the high-ranked demons wouldn't bother with it. Love is a soft feeling. You can't lead a legion of wild beasts when they know that you are soft."

Ciel realized that Sebastian was helping him along. It was a game in a game. "I think I've been asking the wrong question," he said. "Do _you_ love, Sebastian?"

A strange flicker went past Sebastian's eyes. "I'm a high-ranking demon."

And another evasive answer. The boy couldn't say that this surprised him. He hadn't asked the right question and his chance was over.

Sebastian smiled stiffly at him and moved towards the door.

Ciel silently watched him go.

… However vague, this had still been eye-opening.

* * *

><p><em>I love leaving things unsaid XD I don't think that Sebastian as a DEMON would confess to anyone, anyway, unless it benefits him in some way. Not to mention the question whether he is in love in this fic (or can be at all, for that matter. I mean he's a demon)... Maybe we're talking about a one-sided love here?<em>

_But you'll see what I'll make out of this topic in the last chapter =D_

_And while I'm at it, we only have one more chapter to go and it's huge for my usual chapter lengths. Over 8000 words is what my word count says. So be ready. _

_Don't forget your feedback to this chapter, either, please =D_


	14. Finale & Epilogue

**Warnings:** Italics (XD), snippets, uh… sadness if you want and other stuff. Undertaker/Ciel moments and a first-time-scene which is also U/C, not explicit. I just couldn't _help_ myself XD A LOT of Undertaker in this one. Mentioned historical events/vague references(know your timeline, I'd say, and more isn't needed at all because I won't go into detail, but I also won't mention most of the dates). The history-lovers among you won't be happy XD I just couldn't work in both this and the character interaction to equal amounts.

Also, depending on your views this may seem **macabre** in some points. You'll know what I mean when you see it.

**A/N:** Yeah, this one is rather large. I'm really happy and grateful to those of you who stayed around, for your reviews and alerts/favs. They all mean a lot to me and I'm deeply humbled.

Anyway. The finale. I hope you're ready. Let's take one deep breath together… and now, please enjoy.

**Finale**

Humans were such fragile creatures. Nature had given them little except for their intellect, almost as an afterthought, but basically humans didn't have anything else. They had no strength, no inherited protection from Nature's fury. They needed food and drink and contact and love. They were so easily broken. They grew old. They died early. They went against each other with the weapons they created.

They couldn't even handle less than a whole soul in their bodies. A soul was meant to stay one, not mutilated; complete, otherwise the consequences would be desastrous.

If a soul was hurt or cut or severely damaged, it usually bled out and shrivelled, erased itself. Injured souls weren't meant to live on. They could never sustain a body.

So, if a damaged soul should survive, the body would – sooner or later – think that it was already dead. The human, still alive, would witness his own body deteriorating.

According to the boy himself, in the last sixty years, Ciel Phantomhive, owner of a maimed soul, had died more than four hundred times. He'd stopped counting a few years ago.

It was a miracle that his body hadn't given up earlier. Or better, it was the contract's doing.

But now not even the contract's power could stop his body from wasting.

Sebastian Michaelis realized this one cold winter morning as he prepared everything for his ward's tea. It was a Monday, December 14th, it was snowing outside, it was dark out there, it was quiet.

It was final.

The demon took the cake out of the oven and put it underneath a closed window to cool.

…

Ciel was calling him.

Sebastian was in his room in no time, halting only for a split second to regard the wasted beauty, the faded glory and nobility, to see the outcome of an otherwise perfect contract, the consequences of having opposed Nature. Ciel would never cease being beautiful, but for anyone else, it was painful to look at him. Sebastian himself couldn't deny that it was a sad sight, but he saw it in a more neutral light, for he'd been past worrying the moment he found out that Ciel was dying.

There was nothing to do against the one force that every creature would have to face. Even immortals sought it out eventually, and some of them even found it. It was omnipresent and… final.

And Ciel was wrapped in its bony arms, securely, mocking comfort, and it was waiting for that one last step to take him away. The boy was sitting upright in his bed, lost among the mass of blankets that could and would never warm him. His skin had taken on a greyish hue, his lips were chapped and blue, his finger- and toenails black. The contract mark in his left eye had dulled to a small, weakly glowing spot surrounding his pupil.

"I can't feel my limbs," he said quietly. If he had noticed Sebastian's formal attire, he didn't bother commenting on it. His breath seemed too precious for many things these days.

Sebastian crossed the room to choose a set of warm clothes for Ciel, ignoring his own and the Undertaker's pullovers. Dressing the boy was a little bit difficult, and Ciel watched him with interest until he finished. "The ring," he finally said.

Sebastian found the sapphire ring on the nightstand and slid it on the boy's thumb. "Where did you get it from?"

"The Undertaker found it," Ciel said. "It looks almost like the original."

"It _is_ the original."

Ciel opened his mouth, but no words came out at first. Then: "Are we going to visit the mansion today?"

Sebastian couldn't say that he was happy about the change in subject. "If that is what you wish."

"It is."

Sebastian nodded. "Then we shall."

The boy looked at his hand until his fingers agonisingly slow curled into a fist. "The feeling is coming back."

"Will you be able to come down soon?" Sebastian asked.

"In an hour, maybe."

Without further ado, Sebastian scooped him into his arms and carried him downstairs.

Breakfast was a quiet affair. Sebastian couldn't help but let his gaze wander over the pale boy, surprised at how strong a dying body could be opposed to a demon's contract. It was almost absurd, but yet again, the contract must have been damaged by those numerous deaths.

Ciel's strength returned bit by bit, and an hour later, he wanted to go.

It was still dark outside and still early, so Sebastian took the keys while Ciel donned his coat and boots. When they were outside, the demon carried him again, rushing through the relatively quiet streets of London. Ciel buried his face in the crook of Sebastian's clothed neck as the demon ran faster, avoiding busier streets.

The Phantomhive Mansion looked the same. As Sebastian jumped over the gate and jogged up the driveway, he was flooded with memories of a smiling gardener, a clumsy maid and a courageous cook. Such an incompetent staff they'd been, and Tanaka had been more useless than not, but they had left and impression with the demon, and a rather fond one at that. He wondered how their lives had progressed, when they'd died, whether they'd started a family.

The main entrance opened with nothing more but a look, heavy doors sliding open to let the demon and his former master enter. Sebastian set Ciel down in the entrance hall, moving back to close the doors by hand. "Welcome back to the Phantomhive estate."

Ciel took in the sight he was offered. "It's been renovated."

"Undoubtedly."

With a short look over his shoulder, Ciel headed for the stairs. Followed by his former butler, he looked at every single room. Sometimes, he commented on the furniture that used to stand in certain rooms, on paintings that had hung in certain places, but most of the time, he just looked and took in and – without doubt – took his time to remember.

To Sebastian, this seemed like a farewell. It made sense that the boy was doing this. There was almost no time left. Sebastian would have to kill him very soon, indeed.

They entered Ciel's former bedroom. The boy pushed aside the curtains and opened the window, looked outside –

And froze.

"Hey, there he is! Phantomhiiiiive!"

Sebastian frowned and came to stand next to the boy. There was an obnoxious red spot in the garden, waving and for the entire world to hear. It was a good thing that it was so early, after all. Next to Grell stood the Undertaker, bangs out of his face, death scythe in his hand, smiling.

"Grell, Undertaker." Sebastian nodded at them, and they returned the greeting. "May I inquire why you are here today?"

"You may, hot stuff," Grell sang and pulled out his black book. He flipped it open, cleared his throat and read: "Ciel Phantomhive, male, dies at the 14th of December at 7.50 a.m. from the conclusion of his contract."

Ciel was very, very silent.

"So you knew this was going to happen?" Sebastian asked him quietly. He remembered the short conversation with William. The reaper must have told him.

"Yes," Ciel replied. "I didn't think telling you would make any difference since you already knew that I was deteriorating."

"Why, thank you." Sebastian took a deep breath and started pacing back and forth. He was inexplicably angry about not having been told such a thing. While he had wanted to put an end to this eventually, this was not how it should go.

Ciel returned his attention to the reapers in the garden. "It's not even half past seven. Why are you here this early?"

"Even though it runs quickly, I'm sure that your Cinematic Record will take up a bit of time."

And now, Sebastian could strangle Grell.

"My record?" Ciel repeated. "You won't get to see it. It's Sebastian who's going to take my soul."

"No, no, no, it's us!" Grell said. "Sebby and I had a deal, you see…"

The demon had stopped pacing and now fell victim to Ciel's glare. "I understand," the boy said to Grell.

The Undertaker muttered something along the lines of 'Smells like trouble'.

"Please wait while I exchange a few words with the demon."

And Grell muttered something that sounded like 'I think I shouldn't have said that'. Raising his voice, he could be heard much clearer by the demon. "Don't take too long. Just tell us whether we should come in or –"

"Stay outside, I don't want you in my house."

"Listen, kiddo, it's not your house anymore –"

Ciel closed the window, closed the curtains and turned to fix Sebastian with anger written all over his face. The demon would have been able to handle that emotion if it only weren't for the hurt that was also evident on the former earl's face. "A deal? You lied to me, Sebastian."

"Please keep in mind that I lied _before_ we altered the contract," Sebastian said.

"This is not what I want to hear!" Ciel looked as if he wanted to pace, but his body seemed slack and tired. Perhaps he felt like it, too, for he leaned against the wall between two windows and held his head. "What was this deal about?"

Sebastian swallowed. "Information, mostly, in exchange for your soul and my departure."

"Mostly, you say," Ciel muttered. "What did Grell do?"

"He was very insistent on getting your soul, for I never promised it to him at the beginning. But he managed to get the Undertaker out of the way, so…"

"So you had no problems getting to me from there on." Ciel crossed his arms in front of his chest. "You had an alliance with them. You promised them _my soul_."

Sebastian stood stiffly and tried to fully assess the situation. "I promised them something that belongs to _me_. It's never been yours. Not once in the last hundred thirty years."

"That's not the point!" Ciel ran a hand through his hair and huffed. "But I don't want to lecture the unfeeling about betrayal again."

A very effective blow. Sebastian found himself hit and guilty. "I'm sorry that you had to hear about the deal."

"What?" Ciel's head snapped up, eyes narrowed and glinting. "You feel bad about all the wrong things, you disgusting creature."

Sebastian felt a smile pulling at the corners of his mouth. He slowly strode towards Ciel, the boy's sceptic eyes on him the whole time, and cupped his cheek. "I wouldn't have come any closer to you had Grell not had the idea of luring the Undertaker away. There would have been fights and deaths, don't you think? I would have wanted what is mine."

Ciel slapped his hand away. "Don't act as if you did something good by making deals behind my back, by barging into my life, by manipulating me. This has all just been a game to you, after all."

There was a slight pause. "Not anymore," Sebastian finally said. He carefully leaned down, placing a short kiss on Ciel's lips. It seemed to placate the other male greatly.

"Well," the boy said, "I'm not going to forgive you. But…" He cocked an eyebrow. "It's almost sad that I can't rub it under your nose long enough."

Sebastian couldn't help but chuckle. "I'll make sure to think of it often."

"Do that," Ciel said haughtily.

And then he scowled and tentatively wrapped his arms around the demon's middle and buried his face in his chest. Sebastian couldn't help but acknowledge this. Ciel was admitting to his fear it seemed. And it was alright, because there was nobody he had to be strong for. "I'll make sure that your soul is destroyed," Sebastian said quietly. "You will cease to exist. Nothingness doesn't equal loneliness."

Ciel looked at him. "How did you -?"

Sebastian pressed a finger to his lips. "I'm simply one hell of a guardian." The truth was that once, he'd had a contractor who'd tried to kill herself to get away from him. After the contract had revived her, she'd talked to him about it. He'd taken her whole soul shortly afterwards.

"We should go," Ciel muttered against his chest and let go.

The demon nodded slowly, carefully, feeling that he'd disrupt a strange order if he moved incorrectly. He went to the window and opened it so that he could jump into the garden with the boy, but Ciel still stood where he'd left him, eyeing him strangely. "Sebastian," he finally said and then stopped. He took a deep breath and cleared his throat. "I acknowledge your ownership of me."

The demon was in front of him in less than a second, bent down and kissed him. "I'd hate to give up what just realized it's mine."

Ciel smacked him. "It's not as if you have a choice." He walked past him, through the door, obviously choosing the long way. Sebastian went to close the window again. He didn't mind at all. As he caught up with the boy, he noticed the change: The posture was perfect, Ciel wasn't trying to warm himself anymore. It seemed as if he detested the mere idea of showing any further weakness. He didn't glance at the doors hiding familiar rooms, but walked with an air around him that reminded Sebastian of the old days: The young Earl and his butler on their way to an important meeting. Ciel's eyes were dark, but his chin raised, his steps measured and practiced.

When they finally arrived in the gardens – Ciel had taken a long way around the Mansion for the last time, even though he hadn't looked at it - the Undertaker was sitting cross-legged in the frozen grass, enduring Grell's talk with practised ease. "Finally," the redheaded reaper said when he spotted them. "We're running out of time."

Ciel sneered at him but went to him as he grabbed his chainsaw. Instead of standing still and waiting for the blow, Ciel gracefully sat down next to the Undertaker. The reaper looked at him in mild surprise but then grinned at Grell. "I'd like to say my goodbyes, too."

The redhead scoffed. "Fine." He turned to Sebastian. "Then let's have some quality time together."

"I rather stay here," Sebastian said monotonously.

Ciel was already speaking with the Undertaker. They were talking in very low tones and Sebastian gave them the privilege of actively not listening to what was said. The Undertaker held his hands closed around Ciel's as if warming them and Ciel was just looking into his eyes with an unreadable expression. For a very short moment the Undertaker's smile slipped but it recovered its strength as they shared their final words. They embraced each other before the Undertaker grabbed his death scythe and got up. "You may return."

Ciel remained seated as Sebastian came to stand behind him.

"Alright then," Grell said. "I hope we can start now?" He experimentally swung his death scythe. "You've been an annoying kid, but I'm sure I'll love your memories."

"At least you're being honest," Ciel said dryly while the Undertaker chuckled. "Well then, do it."

Hearing the roar of the scythe coming to life, Sebastian held up his hand. He didn't even want to think of what Ciel would look like after that treatment. "Grell, you may not be the one to reveal the Cinematic Record." He nodded towards the Undertaker who frowned at him.

"What? Why not?" Grell pouted. "What can he do that I can't?"

"A clean job," Sebastian muttered under his breath. Raising his voice, he said, "He deserves it."

"I don't want to be his death." For the first time, Sebastian saw the Undertaker showing reluctance. It was the strangest thing he'd laid his eyes on since a long time. Somebody like the Undertaker should not show that emotion.

"_I'm_ his death," he said. "You are only going to reveal the record."

The Undertaker didn't look at him but at Ciel, as if asking for permission. "Somebody has to do it," Ciel said and the reaper sighed. Grell scoffed in the background, dropping his death scythe as if he were an angry child.

Ciel turned to him, his eyes asking a question to which Sebastian responded without thinking. The demon sat down next to Ciel, noticing how the Undertaker was holding his scythe horizontally now. "Make sure to damage the soul," he said.

"Come again?" The Undertaker seemed taken aback. "You know that you could have the soul after we're done."

"I can't take it," Sebastian said after a short pause. "It would taste stale, anyway. That scrap is not worth the effort."

Ciel stared at him.

The Undertaker laughed and Grell said something about wanting to know Ciel's trick.

Sebastian kissed the boy's temple and quietly apologized. Ciel shook his head carefully. All of a sudden, the strength was gone, washed away, leaving behind a neutral boy who was slightly shaking from the cold but maintained his posture. He seemed so tired and fragile. "What are you going to do now?"

"First, I'm going to end the contract and release your soul. You will be dying the moment the contract is concluded, but you won't be dead until your Cinematic Record has run."

"Ready when you are," the Undertaker said, his smile strained.

Ciel's gaze drifted over the garden and the house to his right. He took a deep breath and turned to Sebastian. He raised his chin, almost sneering at the red eyes of his death. "I'm ready."

The demon gave him one last smile before he pressed his lips against Ciel's, ending the contract and releasing the soul. There was a low gasp as the material and immaterial were separated, but it didn't seem as painful as it usually was for the demon's victims. The small body sagged against him immediately, and Sebastian moved so that Ciel's head was resting on his lap.

The Undertaker positioned his razor sharp scythe right above the space between two ribs on Ciel's left side. "Goodbye," he muttered and pressed the metal into the flesh, surely piercing the heart.

Sebastian almost averted his gaze.

When the Undertaker pulled back, the Cinematic Record burst out of Ciel's chest, racing towards the sky. Grell, pacified by the sight, squealed in delight and came closer.

Ciel's earliest memories were still intact. Sebastian saw a replay of their first meeting, feeling a rather uncomfortable pang in his chest at the sight of frail limbs and a bleeding right eye.

And then there were all those other memories…

He absorbed them all as quickly as possible, for the record was running towards the sky, reaching for the clouds.

* * *

><p>There was a memory from his time as a butler that caught his attention.<p>

_Ciel, dressed in his nightshirt, crawled out of bed. It wasn't possible to tell whether it was night or day, for the curtains didn't let any stray light pass. Ciel, the Ciel that had kept a spark of innocence despite everything he'd seen, walked towards the heavy curtains with naked feet and drew them aside to look at grey clouds and fog._

_There was something strange in the scene, in the way Ciel held himself, in the way he looked at the dull weather. The boy stretched his hands out in front of him, flexing them experimentally in the dim light. He hummed in thought before he went over to his nightstand, sliding the sapphire ring onto his thumb._

_There was a soft knock before the butler opened the door and entered the room with a tray. He paused at the sight of the drawn curtains. "Good morning, young master." He smiled at the young Earl standing next to the window, fingers stroking the ring on his thumb. "You're already awake. That's new."_

_While the butler fetched his master's clothes, the boy went to sit on the edge of the bed, looking out of the window. The swirls of fog remained impenetrable. "What a dull day."_

"_I agree, young master." The butler knelt down in front of the child, unbuttoning his nightshirt._

_Ciel hesitated for a moment before he lifted his hand to the demon's cheek. The butler looked up at him but upon receiving no explanation, he continued dressing the young master._

"_So, today is the day," the boy said._

_The demon halted in his movements, a smirk adorning his features. "Is that the reason you were awake already?"_

_A soft snort. The boy waited until his eye patch was in place. "Of course not. Don't be silly. I only wanted a last moment of peace."_

* * *

><p><em>The next memory started in darkness.<em>

_Complete and utter darkness, accompanied by Ciel's panicked screams as he realized that he was in a coffin and six feet under. There was banging, loud banging against the coffin's lid, he was frantically pulling the chord that would ring the grave bell. He was alive, alive, and he didn't, _couldn't_ understand._

_Sometime later, when his throat was hoarse from all the screaming, he felt the casket being lifted, then set to the ground. He immediately lifted the lid to come face to face with the Undertaker grinning at him._

* * *

><p><em>The mortician hadn't invited him to stay. Ciel had only been given the most important information: His soul had been reduced to a scrap, Sebastian was gone, the Undertaker had patched him together, and no, he couldn't possibly tell whether the demon had done it on purpose.<em>

_At his question ("What else do you know?"), the former reaper had snickered and answered, "Nothing, nothing at all" while his tone had implied 'everything else'._

_Ciel hadn't been asked to stay, yet he returned to the man's shop when the sun set. It was the only safe place he knew and he'd spent the whole day thinking of his future. It was clear that his ultimate death held and indefinite date and place. It could be tomorrow or next year, as the Undertaker had put it. Until then, Ciel somehow needed to… ha, live on._

_He was angry and confused and felt so, so betrayed._

_(And alone.)_

_The Undertaker provided and promised protection, only for the right price. So Ciel stepped over a coffin laying in the middle of the room, a small boy in tattered clothing that another body had worn (because he couldn't run around London in expensive clothing anymore). The Undertaker grinned at him from his counter. "Little Ciel, I didn't expect you to return… Would you fancy some cake?"_

_The boy's stomach growled. "Later maybe. I came here to talk. To make a deal."_

_Green eyes beneath silver bangs caught the dim light in the room as the Undertaker cocked his head to the side. "A deal, you say? Go on, please, I'm curious."_

_Ciel gave a dry, emotionless smile. "Are you a lonely man, Undertaker?" he asked, leaning against the counter._

_The grin on the other male's lips faltered slightly as he didn't answer._

"_I certainly will be," Ciel continued. "You said I was going to be trapped in this body, so I'll be in need of protection, of appropriate company, and why shouldn't it be you, the one who has provided the Phantomhive family information for a long time?"_

_The Undertaker still looked at him, saying nothing._

"_If you agree to this arrangement, I will provide you entertainment and company. You are lonely, I am lonely, so why not stay together?"_

"_You seem very sure that I'm going to agree," the Undertaker finally said._

"_And _you_ are the one who patched together my leftover soul." Ciel smiled. "I would like to include a few journeys all over the world, though. I'm growing sick of London."_

"_The bodies brought to my shop certainly entertain me enough and provide company."_

"_They don't." Ciel glanced down at the Undertaker's fingers: long and spindly, yet fascinating. "It's why you saved me. I owe you my future. And I'd like to see China one day."_

_There was a very, very long pause in which the mortician's fingers tapped against the wooden surface. Ciel swallowed, wondering what he could add; he didn't have anything else to give but himself. He knew that was what the Undertaker secretly wanted: Someone to stay with._

_The hand dropped from the edge of the table as the Undertaker went into another room. "About that cake: Do you want a piece while I ready the bedroom for you? It's nothing flashy, but the mattress is comfortable and the covers don't have any holes. I guess it's better than some of the things they sell in this area."_

* * *

><p><em>Lizzie's grave was loaded with white lilies and roses, with ribbons and hearts angels, the masses of decoration almost hiding the inscription on the headstone.<em>

_Ciel placed a single pink rose on top of the white lilies._

"_I'm sorry," he muttered._

* * *

><p><em>The Undertaker had been right about him not ageing physically.<em>

_He'd been stopped in the first years of puberty, which didn't necessarily mean that he'd be stuck there forever. Somehow, puberty had a way of getting to him, minus the physical changes, but definitely plus the hormone cocktail swishing through his body. Puberty without any phsical change whatsoever frightened him. It only proved that the contract was preserving his body the way it had been after most of his soul had been taken away. Ciel was very aware of his body's willingness to change and the contract repressing natural developments._

_Nevertheless, puberty affected him. It was awkward and it was weird and he kept it in for years until he woke up in the middle of the night on a ship to America and thought 'Bugger it to hell, I'm going to do something against this.'_

_And who was more convenient than the Undertaker himself? Ciel didn't know whether the reaper had a preference for men or a sex drive for that matter, but then again, after that month of abuse during his childhood, Ciel would never have thought that he could have one, either._

_The Undertaker put down his book on some disease Ciel didn't even want to know about when the boy walked into his cabin. He giggled at the tiny blush on Ciel's cheeks; it didn't take him long to understand what was going on here. "You should think about it again," he said. "Maybe you're better off with a woman."_

"_Women don't interest me," Ciel said and that was that. "It's not as if I can choose, anyway."_

_The Undertaker laughed tears as he beckoned him to come closer, closer and closer yet, until Ciel was standing beside the bed, waiting for further instructions, nervously gripping his pure white nightshirt. The former reaper grabbed him by the waist and hoisted him onto the bed so that the boy was lying on his back, quickly pushing the thin legs apart to settle comfortably._

_Clothes were shed, skin was touched, lips were kissed and pants and mewls filled the room. At one point, Ciel, flushed and looking a little embarrassed/surprised at his body's reactions, bit into the knuckles of his hand, trying to prevent his moans from tumbling over his swollen lips. The Undertaker, hovering above him, stilled in his movements and gave a low chuckle. Then he carefully freed Ciel's hand and pinned the boy's wrists above his head. "It's okay," he said before he started moving again, before he covered the boy's mouth with his own to swallow all the moans that Ciel released._

* * *

><p>Completely enraged, Sebastian used his powers to extend his arm, claws running across the Undertaker's scarred cheek. The man was caught off-guard, his head whipped to the side and his body collided with Grell's who had fortunately been engrossed in another memory. Grell stumbled to the side, but didn't lose his balance, merely looked extremely annoyed.<p>

"What the hell is wrong with you people?" he screeched. "Can't you let a lady watch what she worked hard for?"

The Undertaker stepped away from him and lay down on the ground with his death scythe in one hand, faintly giggling. Sebastian wondered whether he was just doing it to reassure the dying boy. His anger diminished instantly. Sighing, he pressed Ciel's body against his, feeling the life leaving while Grell gushed over another memory.

The Undertaker didn't get up, staring into the sky with the occasional giggle running through his body.

The cinematic record created a spiral of unending recollections.

* * *

><p>"<em>A war," Ciel said, curling his lips in distaste as he felt a dreading pang in his stomach. "I can't say that I'm surprised."<em>

_Marseille, 1914. They were sitting in a modest living-room, their house only ten miles away from the sea. The Undertaker watched Ciel reading the paper. "The French and German reapers will have a lot of work to do."_

_Ciel lowered the paper to see the little smirk twitching around the other's mouth. "That's all you have to say?" he asked incredulously._

_The reaper shrugged. "It's a war, what _can_ I say?"_

_Ciel pursed his lips. "I'm in the wrong country. We should return to England."_

"_And do what?" the Undertaker asked, scepticism lacing his words. "Run onto the battlefield? Have discussions with the King or the German Emperor? You aren't who you once were. Your name died with your disappearance." Something akin to a glare was thrown towards the newspaper. "Shouldn't have bought that." He got up, grabbed the paper and casually threw it into the farthest corner of the room. "Wars happen. And you can't do anything against them."_

_Ciel looked at the any sheets of paper fluttering to the floor and sighed._

* * *

><p><em>The war ended and Ciel – mad at his inability in the whole matter - was all too eager to leave Europe. The Undertaker followed without further comment. Together they went on a ship to New York. The amount of money they had had been decreasing steadily and Ciel, used to greater numbers, found it incredibly hard to live on a budget that was ten times smaller than his previous one. <em>

_Suffice to say that severe problems with the ship's system occurred, almost leading the ship past America. The motor nearly died by the time the mistake was realized and the ship was running low on fuel._

_The Undertaker had a field day._

_When Ciel's fiftieth birthday came around, they were in Florida, watching a sunrise. The Undertaker claimed he couldn't sing, so he hummed a birthday tune under his breath while Ciel's head tiredly rested on his shoulder, his expression showing faint annoyance. The Undertaker had kept him awake the whole night, being his very annoying self and always making noise whenever Ciel had wanted to close his eyes. _

_They bought cake which was more expensive than necessary because the reaper didn't feel like baking. He did feel like finding fifty small candles to stick into said cake, though. Ciel was forced to blow out all those candles. Of course, his lungs couldn't take in enough air, but the Undertaker, sitting next to him in the kitchen of their ratty apartment, found it utterly hilarious._

* * *

><p><em>In the sixties, the crusade ship really sunk.<em>

_Ciel really wondered how ships had the tendency to do that when the Undertaker was on board._

"_Next time," Ciel said dryly, looking up into the sky and frowning, "we go by plane. No more ships for you."_

_The two of them were sitting on a life raft, one of them giggling madly, the other one clearly annoyed, watching the grand ship disappear in the sea. Thankfully they weren't far away from the British coast._

"_Ronnie, is that my handsome mortician? Is it? It's him, right? Dammit, I need new glasses. Can't see that well anymore. I think I'm getting ol—oh, hell no."_

_So, Grell was the first reaper to spot them among the other passengers. In their little rescue boat, they paddled closer to the pair, Grell letting Ronald do all the work because he had to tend to his nails, fix his clothes, and his hair, check his make-up, practise his smile _while_ checking his make-up, push his glasses to their right position and blow kisses towards a very amused Undertaker._

"_Oh, Gods, Ronnie it's him."_

"_Yeah," Ronald said, "I can see that."_

"_And that kid – wait." Much to the other passengers' dismay, Grell got onto the life raft to have a very good look at Ciel who tried to hide in the large coat that the Undertaker had given him to keep warm. "Ciel Phantomhive?"_

_At that name, the boy's mouth twitched. "Not anymore."_

"_Where's Sebastian?"_

_Leave it to Grell to have no tact at all. Ciel didn't say anything and when the reaper noticed that he'd said something wrong, he rolled his eyes and tried to flirt with the Undertaker._

_Ronald, looking like a lost puppy with paddles in its paws, stayed in the other life raft. Some passengers, scared away by Grell, changed boats. Ciel looked at him, then demonstratively at Grell and rolled his eyes. _

_Ronald grinned in agreement and bowed a little. "Welcome back to Great Britain, your Highness."_

_He paddled the other people to the arriving ship._

* * *

><p><em>If Ciel had expected to find something remotely familiar in returning to London, he was disappointed. Skirts and buildings were high, the streets were uncomfortably full. "What went wrong here?" he asked, scandalized, because he'd hoped that the changes he'd witnessed In America hadn't occurred here in his precious, precious London.<em>

_They had. And how. Ciel felt like an ancient foreigner, still a firm believer in the power of nobility, frowning at the colonies that were becoming independent, and listening to Beethoven and Bach and Chopin and preferring their works over the incessant noise that was called music these days: Some boys with guitars and basses and drums squawking into microphones._

_He looked at London and finally realized that maybe, _maybe_ he had to change his views a little._

_But his opinion of music would stand firm._

_The Undertaker giggled, ogled a woman's thighs, scared a few children and quickly learned the latest Beatles song by heart._

* * *

><p><em>Ciel lost his ring in London.<em>

_He looked for it the whole night, the next morning, he got angry very quickly and fell silent in the next moment. He searched it for three days when a tidy, rich-looking and good-smelling man grabbed him, pulled him away, scarred his body and let him bleed out like an animal for slaughter._

_So, Ciel died in London._

_He woke up in a coffin again, screaming from the sudden pain that went through his body, from that torture that the contract inflicted on his eye. The Undertaker was there right away, with a cookie in his mouth. He cocked his head to the side at the sight of the screaming boy and then grabbed the flailing fists with one hand._

"_Calm down, Sleeping Beauty. That's definitely not a fairy tale awakening."_

_Panting, Ciel looked around, his gaze always falling on the Undertaker. "I'm alive?"_

"_Quite."_

"_But I died."_

"_That you did."_

_Ciel blinked. "So why -?"_

_The Undertaker cackled. "The contract, remember?"_

_Ciel was silent for a very long moment. "I think I'm going to be sick."_

_The Undertaker lifted him out of the coffin and quickly brought him to the bathroom. Ciel vomited until tears sprang into his eyes, until there was nothing left in his stomach. He tried to get up but his knees gave away underneath him. "Why would he do this to me?" _

"_Why not?" the Undertaker replied. "He's a demon. And that soul is still his."_

_Ciel sighed and shakily went to the basin to rinse out his mouth._

* * *

><p><em>"You can't die?" William asked, pushing his glasses up his nose. He looked as strict and regal as always. Grell tried to hug his arm but he pushed the redhead away.<em>

"_I can't," Ciel confirmed._

"_Do you want to?"_

_Ciel shrugged. "I don't mind."_

"_Aw, he's weary of life." Grell tilted his head to the side, clicking his tongue. "You need somebody to love you and everything's going to be all right." A short moment of consideration. "Just don't choose my dear mortician."_

_The Undertaker – wearing hairpins – just scratched the back of his head, grinned and said nothing._

_Ciel rolled his eyes. "I never said that I'm weary of life. I said I don't mind death."_

"_You couldn't even die by a death scythe?" William asked, ignoring the other reaper._

_The boy could see where this was going. "Why don't we find it out?"_

"_That's against the rules," Grell said in mocked shock. "Why would you do this?"_

_William shot him a sidelong glance. "Maybe you're just such a bad influence, Mr Sutcliff."_

_Grell frowned. "I thought we'd reached the first name basis a few decades ago."_

_William ignored him and took out his death scythe. "If it works, it will be paperwork over a boy who should have been dead anyway. I'm not breaking any rules since there never has been one for this."_

_Ciel waited._

"_Well," the Undertaker said, watching the other reaper, then the boy, "I think that's weariness of life."_

_It wasn't. Ciel simply refused to be played like that._

_However, it didn't work and when he woke up, he found out that he'd never expected this to work. _

_The Undertaker sat next to him when he woke up, chewing on a biscuit. "Your mansion is still standing" he said, "and your staff's graves are in a nearby cemetery. Might want to exchange a few words with them."_

_Ciel just stared at him for a long time before turning around and falling asleep._

* * *

><p>"<em>You know," Ciel said one day, about twenty years later and in Spain, completely out of the blue and realizing it at the very same moment, "his absence is noticeable."<em>

"_I wouldn't know about it," the Undertaker said. He looked unnervingly amused and very unsurprised at Ciel's words. They hadn't talked about Sebastian in the last six decades. "How come?"_

_The boy, sitting on the edge of the bed, pointed at his nightshirt. He watched the Undertaker crawl into his bed like a fat, lazy cat and pull the blankets around his body. In contrast to Ciel whose knees and back were scraped from being on the floor in different positions for hours, he looked perfectly fine, not at all out of breath, no signs of a flush in his face, even his damned hair looked the same as before. "He always buttoned my shirts, you know."_

_The mortician laughed at this. "That's what I call spoilt."_

_Ciel rolled his eyes. "Not anymore."_

_The reaper wriggled his toes underneath the blanket, his upper body sinking further into the mass of pillows. "So, tell me… Are you attracted to him?"_

_Ciel frowned. "What? No."_

"_Then you renamed me."_

_The former Earl buttoned up his nightshirt. "I didn't."_

"_Help me with this one," the Undertaker said, grinning and chuckling, "does this mean I'm as good in bed as a demon? Flattery brings you nowhere, you should know that."_

_Ciel's eye twitched when the Undertaker started laughing at his expense. "I don't know what you are talking about."_

"_Let me help you," he said, shoulders shaking. He raised his voice to a falsetto and dramatically moaned "Sebastian!"_

_Ciel's mouth fell open, his face felt very hot. "I never said that."_

"_Correct. You screamed it." Bony fingers pinched Ciel's red cheek. "Now tell me, are you sleeping here or in your room? I'm tired. You know how it is: Being a demon in bed is exhausting."_

* * *

><p><em>Twenty-first century, Tokyo International Airport. Ciel frowned at girls and women in shorts and skirts or dresses that ended above their knees while the Undertaker scared little children from all over the world by simply being there.<em>

_Ciel pointed into the direction they had to go. "Stop looking around, we've got a plane to catch."_

_The Undertaker snorted and came over. Even though he had stopped wearing his large robes and coats as well as his weird hat, Ciel could understand how even in more fitting clothes he could be scary to little children. _

_The mortician had been acting strange all day, choosing to be quiet when he usually spoke, following Ciel like a puppy for most of the time and giving him that one weird look that didn't speak of amusement at all._

"_So," the boy said in the plane, clearing his throat and choosing not to think of it, "off to London."_

_The Undertaker, sitting next to him and staring out of the window, said nothing._

_Ciel looked at him for a while, noticed that he wouldn't turn his head and laid his hand on the other man's upper arm with a sigh. "I have the feeling you want to break up with me."_

_A chuckle. "We were never together."_

"_You are going to stay with me, right?"_

_The Undertaker looked at him, smiling ruefully. "Till the end."_

* * *

><p>After the picture of the vast sky and clouds, ripples cracked the following memories.<p>

Ciel's soul was bleeding out.

Sebastian watched as the pictures became increasingly unfocused, unclear, distorted, showing the last two years in two minutes.

This was it.

The sound of Grell's chainsaw ripped Sebastian out of Ciel's memories. With a satisfied smile on his lips, the reaper cut the cinematic record right below the blurred picture of the Undertaker swinging his death scythe.

Ciel closed his eyes.

And then...

there was silence.

After a long minute of hesitation, Sebastian carefully laid the body on the floor and got up, straightened and watched the sky. He felt the Undertaker and Grell's gazes on him but didn't return them.

"I damaged his soul enough to wither into nothingness," the Undertaker finally said. "It's so small it should be destroyed by now."

Sebastian swallowed, nodded. "That's good to know."

Grell, absolutely unfazed, shouldered his death scythe. "If anybody asks, I'll tell them you ate it. Was nice making business with you, Sebby, and nice seeing you, mortician." He grinned at the Undertaker who managed a smile. "Sebby, I hope you're gone by tomorrow. Don't forget the deal."

Sebastian nodded again. Grell waved and left with a skip in his steps.

After a long moment of contemplation, the demon walked up to the silver-haired reaper still lying in the grass. The Undertaker sensed his presence, his body tensing, his eyes sharp and aware, _waiting_ for a blow that never came. Sebastian slowly sat down next to him and regarded the peaceful expression of the last Phantomhive. "It was the best thing to do," he said.

The reaper watched him with a curiously emotionless expression. "Are you trying to reassure yourself? It was the _only_ thing to do."

Sebastian didn't care for a reaper's lecture but he acknowledged that both of them had seen the best solution in death.

Two supernatural creatures had been unable to find another solution. This was perhaps even sadder than Ciel's actual death.

"Such an interesting boy," the Undertaker muttered, still holding his death scythe as if he was waiting for the demon's attack. There was a large red smear on the tip of the scythe, and Sebastian found himself entranced by it.

"Such a _special_ boy," the reaper continued, a light giggle bubbling in his chest, "to create affection in a creature that has forgotten how to love."

At this, Sebastian almost – _almost_ – punched the other male. In the end, he didn't, his reasoning being that Ciel wouldn't have wanted that, especially not in the presence of his corpse. "That's not true," he said instead.

"So you're telling me that you did know how to love before this? What a surprise."

"I have never harboured any kind of affection for Ciel. He was my young master, then he was my pet and now he is a memory." Sebastian didn't look at the Undertaker when he said it, but his voice held a certain kind of conviction that humans had when they were trying to persuade themselves. Sebastian scowled at his own tone.

"Harsh words," the Undertaker said, "harsh words indeed." He chuckled and got to his feet, moving as if he had no energy left. He wasn't the only one to feel tired. "You even left him here in the cold grass the moment he finally died." Clicking his tongue, he lifted the body into his arms. "Funny, I can't stop expecting him to wake up in a few hours."

Sebastian felt the same way but didn't say it out loud. Talking about the boy's beautiful coffin, the Undertaker started going away. "I'm going to lay you to rest, my little lamb, and I got you this suit, specially tailored for you. We wouldn't want something from a normal shop, would we?"

"Reaper," Sebastian spoke, interrupting the ramblings. The Undertaker turned around and looked at him, smiling knowingly.

"I'm coming with you."

"Are you going to lend me a hand? How nice of you!" the mortician chimed. When Sebastian got up and approached him, he met the other halfway. "I think you should carry him."

Ciel's familiar weight would have felt good in his arms if it weren't only a cooling shell he was carrying around now.

"Which flowers should we use for his grave?" the Undertaker asked.

Sebastian couldn't help the smile that crawled onto his lips. "White roses."

* * *

><p><strong>EPILOGUE<strong>

_Several years later_

"Hey, pal."

Somebody stopped, standing on green grass with a smile on their face. "I'm not really good with flowers and all that jazz, but hey, at least I tried. And that stuff smells good, so there you go."

A bundle of lavender was set next to a bouquet of white roses. Some of those flowers looked fresher than others, implying that they had been brought to the grave on different days. A small laugh could be heard. "I see they've been here. When Grell finds out –" The man interrupted himself when he spotted the single tiger lily next to the elegant black headstone. "Never mind, he knows already." Silence. "So, should Sebastian take that as a warning or not?" The man shrugged. "Ah, whatever, it's not really my problem, is it?"

Birds were chirping in the background, telling those who cared to listen that spring had arrived. Ronald grinned at the silent raven sitting on the tree branch above the grave. "Enjoying the music?"

The raven looked at him and seemed to decide that he wasn't interesting.

Leaning against his death scythe, Ronald checked the time. He smiled at the inscription on the headstone. "I had a few spare minutes until the next death, so I thought I should come visit you. But you sure have a lot of company. They still visit you after so many years. And when somebody like Grell passes by once in a while, you must be something freakishly special, huh, kid?"

Nobody answered.

"I can't say that I feel the same as either of those two or something akin to what Grell thinks of you. We haven't seen each other that often and this is my first visit since the funeral. But hey, I can't deny that I haven't been thinking about this from time to time. Even William sometimes talks about you, but to be honest, he only does it while rambling about the Undertaker when the guy's in London.

Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that you have my respect, man. It's weird to say that to a grave with a shell in it but I thought I admit it here. It fits, you know. There is something of you to that receives my words… I'm talking to a grave. Guess you really are something special." The smile faltered a little. "I wonder whether you would have been happy to know that this is over. Or that we are still thinking of you."

His monologue came to an abrupt halt when he looked at his watch again. "Oh shit, man, I'm gonna be late. Gotta go or William will make a belt out of my spine."

He grabbed his death scythe and left the cemetery in a hurry, not noticing the two men approaching the place from opposing directions. Each of them held a white rose in their hands and both had a certain carefulness in their steps upon spotting the other.

Then the man with silver hair grinned and waved, immediately loosening the tension.

The man with the red eyes inclined his head and motioned for the other to enter the cemetery first.

"You know," the reaper said, "I've got eyes in the back of my head. Don't try anything funny."

"I'd never dream of it," the demon said smoothly.

A giggle. "Well, that's because you _can't_ dream."

Nevertheless, the Undertaker turned his back to the other and went through the gate that Ronald had left open. Sebastian followed him.

They arrived at the grave and the Undertaker bent down to remove the two oldest roses from the bouquet. He added his own and the demon's and smiled at the sight. "Oh, look," he said as he spotted the lavender, "so Ronnie must have been visiting _him_."

"Grell has stopped by, too," Sebastian added, nodding towards the tiger lily.

"Worried?"

"Not at all."

As he regarded the grave silently, he mortician pressed a finger to his lips in thought. "I've been pondering on this for a while now… I think it was your fault."

"It was," Sebastian said. "Even though I still cannot understand how I could have overseen that piece."

"Ecstasy," the Undertaker supplied. "It was ecstasy. Maybe doubt." He looked at him. "I think you didn't want to take his soul just then."

The demon shook his head.

"Why not? Care to share?"

"I rather not."

A giggle. "You hear that, Ciel? He doesn't want to admit that you were dear to him."

The demon briefly looked at the grave before he averted his gaze. "Please refrain from talking to remains. There's nothing that could hear you."

Throwing back silver hair, the mortician sighed, a wistful smile adorning his lips. "That's true."

The crow wasn't sitting on the tree branch anymore.

* * *

><p><em><span>Looong author's note ahead after a long chapter (please read)<span>_

_So, that's it. __A tragic ending. Maybe even bittersweet; your mileage may vary. It had to be, wouldn't have worked any other way in my opinion. Ciel has lived his life; sometimes it 's better to let go..._

_Happy endings are nice and all that, but can't a story (in general!) be good and have a tragic ending? __These days, it's all about happy endings. While I understand why people would want it, I always think that only reading happy endings gets quite boring. Sometimes there has to be something else. So, there you go =P I hope you liked it nevertheless! Thank you again for following and commenting this fic and all the favs! Feel hugged and all that! I heart all of you! XD_

_I had a blast writing this fic , so I hope you had fun/liked reading it._

_**P**__**lease **__**don't forget your reviews this last time =)**_

_Thank you._

_**!P.S.:**__ I've been thinking of __**adding one or two extra chapters**__ which focus on some past events mentioned in the story (for example Grell in New York City or something in Ciel's memory timeline that you would like a closer look at? Maybe an extra following the end?). **Tell me whether you are interested or not.** If yes, I can't guarantee an immediate update; it might take months until you get something, but the thought is there…_

_**!PPS.:**__Crescendo__ (the AU SebaCiel fic I talked about in chapter 12) should be out **either on May 30th or June 6th**__! The chances of a happier ending are high XD (I guess it's quite easy to write a happier ending than this) Maybe we'll see each other again in that one =D_


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